


Unforgettable

by HiddenEye



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AH YES, And the sarcasm oozing from them is making me faint, F/M, For future fics, I'll be changing the rating later, Marichat May, Marichat month, My kinda tea, One of the sinnest pairing in the ML fandom, The E is mostly for day 26 & 27, The others are pretty much harmless, They even have a sin day, This will bound to swerve there, Two sinners
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-06-05 11:33:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 28,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6703054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenEye/pseuds/HiddenEye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sighing dramatically, he rested the back of his hand onto his forehead in a dainty pose. "Is this the way you treat your guest? I'm losing my mind from boredom and you just don't care?" He shook his head. "I am utterly insulted, honestly."</p><p>"As I recall, you're the one who decided it would be an excellent idea to drop by my house for the night," she pointed out dryly, shooting him a look. "I'm only letting you in this time because I didn't want a stray to be frozen to death on my balcony." For Marichat May.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cat Tendencies

**Author's Note:**

> Marichat May has started! At least from where I am now. Because currently, it's almost 1am and I'm just going to post this before I go to sleep since I may not have the time later. The rating will change as days pass, since there IS a SIN DAY later and I'm just gonna follow the rules ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 
> 
> And this is mostly drabbles I guess?? Less than 1k that's for sure, and some are slightly more than that. But nothing much, since I'm not up to making more than that for everyday this whole month haha (i am weak my spirit is dead marichat is the only reason why i'm writing for this god forsaken fandom or as i would call it, For The Greater Sin™)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" He asked innocently, feline eyes blinked mockingly back at her from where he was sitting on her desk chair while she was standing in the middle of the room, trying to attach the long sleeves of a dress she had on the mannequin.

"You're staring," she mumbled through the pins she had at the corner of her lips, giving him a dull look as she plucked one pin out to make one of sleeves stay in place. "And you're not exactly being discreet about it."

"I wasn't staring."

"And my ass is made of chicken." She deadpanned.

He chuckled. "Fine, so maybe I like watching you work," he ignored the way she clicked her tongue. "You have all these expressions passing through your face that it's," he shrugged. "Kinda intriguing, I guess."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You find my expressions amusing, Chat?"

He let a grin form. "Maybe. They're so lively that you could probably be on a play and the producers would probably be so impressed with you that they would hire you the moment they saw you."

She gave a short laugh. "Very funny. Now, go do something else other than stare at me. I can't work when there's someone watching whatever I'm doing."

Groaning, he threw his head back, looking absolutely ridiculous as his lanky legs were stretched unceremoniously in front of him, where he was against the gracefulness his name sake held. "But I'm _bored_."

"What do you expect me to do?" She snorted, tugging the dark red cloth she winded around the mannequin to straighten the creases. "Read you a story book?"

He hummed thoughtfully from where he stared at the ceiling, tapping a clawed finger onto his cheek. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

"Shove off."

Sighing dramatically, he rested the back of his hand onto his forehead in a dainty pose. "Is this the way you treat your guest? I'm losing my mind from boredom and you just don't _care?_ " He shook his head. "I am utterly insulted, honestly."

"As I recall, you're the one who decided it would be an excellent idea to drop by my house for the night," she pointed out dryly, shooting him a look. "I'm only letting you in this time because I didn't want a stray to be frozen to death on my balcony."

"The master of the house is so kind," he smirked, peering at her. "And I'm truly grateful."

"Sure." She mumbled, stabbing the pin into the mannequin.

"But come on, princess," he whined, straightening himself up so that he could give her a pout. "You've been working for over an hour, let's watch a movie or play video games or something."

"I have work, Chat," She insisted, waving away his protest. "Go find something else to do if you're so bored."

"But _what?_ "

She threw her hands up. "I don't _know_ , learn how to knit or something," she pointed to the basket full of multicoloured balls of yarn huddled at the corner of her desk. "The stuff's all there. Now, don't make a peep of sound and learn something new for the day."

"But," he stared at the basket. "I don't know how to knit."

"And that's why we're blessed by the internet to search for things," she quipped, flashing him a wide smile when he scowled slightly. "It's a fascinating hobby, you should try it."

He grumbled, switching on her desktop computer. "Fine." There was the sound of mouse clicking. "You know, I like it better when you're not sarcastic."

"Too bad." She replied without missing a beat.

After a while, she heard the faint cheery talk of a woman who began to teach Chat the basics of knitting while she continued rearranging the dress to her satisfaction. A moment later, there was the irregular clicking of needles accompanying the woman's voice, and everything was peaceful for a while that she was getting pulled back into the zone of fashion.

It wasn't until something heavy fell to the floor that was loud enough to snap her out of her thoughts and looked up in bewilderment.

Only to see that Chat Noir, one of Paris's respected heroes and loved celebrity, was tangled in yarn of many colours from where he laid on his side, pawing at the black yarn back and forth as his green feline eyes followed it defiantly, his tail lashing behind him.

She gaped at him.

She didn't keep an eye on him for fifteen minutes and _this_ was the result?

"Chat!"

Startled, he leapt up, only to fall down again when they both saw more yarn was tangled around his feet, letting out a yelp when he hit the floor with a much louder thud that Marinette cringed, glancing worriedly at the trap door.

When her parents didn't check up on her, she let out a sigh of relief, before shooting him an icy glare.

He only shrugged slightly from where he was tied, his face held no ounce of guilt. "The yarn was fascinating alright, but not to what you imagine it to be."


	2. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I know you have a crush on him."
> 
> She bristled. "I do not."
> 
> "Uh huh," he leaned against the desk, mimicking her position. "And pigs fly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for day 2! Very short, as I told you before since they're all going to be drabbles of sorts. But I do hope you enjoy it, because I certainly did when I wrote this hoho

"You like him, don't you?"

Marinette blushed, feeling the dread sinking in her gut as she whirled around to where Chat stood near her desk, but he was staring at her with a grin on his face and an amused twinkle in his eye. That caused a wave of embarrassment to crash onto her when she realised at what his thumb was pointing at, and she only stood a little straighter to appear defiant. "He's a classmate," she informed him evenly despite the warmth in her cheeks. "And I happen to find inspiration in his modelling carrier, since his dad is my idol."

There was a flicker of emotion that passed through his face as he stared back at the posters of Adrien on the wall, and she saw the way how guarded he became. "His dad became your idol, huh?"

She shifted in her place, clearing her throat slightly from where she stood near the window. "Yeah, pretty much. Since Gabriel Agreste is everything I want to be."

"A designer?" He enquired, raising an eyebrow at her.

She nodded. "Yeah."

He hummed thoughtfully, before flashing her another grin. "Doesn't explain why you have posters of Adrien Agreste all over your wall. You probably like to look at him posing for the camera."

She spluttered, her flush becoming darker by the second. "He's an _inspiration_ , if I find any clothes he wore likeable, I'll just cut the page of these magazines off and," she gestured towards the posters almost frustratedly. " _Paste_ them on the wall."

"For inspiration, right?"

" _Yes_." She crossed her arms, trying to look intimidating. "You're making fun of me."

"I'm not. It's just that it's _odd_ , I guess, to see him alone on your walls when there's actually a lot of models who wore pretty cool clothes with impressive designs," he shrugged idly, but the grin was still there. "It's almost as if you have a crush on him."

"I _don't_ ," she protested defensively, ignoring the way her stomach somersaulted at how accurate his words were. "And since when do you read magazines?"

"Sometimes they're scattered all over my house so when I'm bored, I look through them," he gave her a tight smile. "And even I have to admit that the new line that came out at the latest season was quite remarkable."

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were into fashion."

He shrugged. "I have my share. But, come on," he wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she noticed the way how he quickly wanted to change the subject, but that was forgotten when he uttered his next words. "I know you have a crush on him."

She bristled. "I do _not_."

"Uh huh," he leaned against the desk, mimicking her position. "And pigs fly."

She huffed, stalking towards him as she started to rearrange the scattered papers on her desk, pointedly ignoring the smug smile he aimed at her. "Believe whatever you want, but I did my part in telling you that I don't have a crush on Adrien Agreste." She poked his arm with a stern look that did nothing to deter his amusement. "So please, no more prying."

"So, you _do_ have a crush on him."

She groaned, slamming the papers to the side. " _No_."

"Hey, it's okay if you have a crush on him," he raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't deny it, and probably tell him or something."

"I do _not_ ," she began slowly, trying to not to wince at the attempts she tried in the past. "Have a crush on him."

"Because," he continued as if she hadn't said anything at all and merely shrugged. "Who knows?"

She stared at him suspiciously, her impromptu cleaning ceased as her curiosity mounted. "Who knows what?"

He smiled, leaning forward as if to share a secret, his cheek barely grazing against hers that she felt her heart skipping a beat.

"If he likes you back or something." He murmured.


	3. Injured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Stay with me, princess," he muttered, tightening his hold onto her just the slightest bit as he went higher ground to avoid the traffic. "You're going to be fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one of a two-shot. The next one will be posted tomorrow so stay tuned!

It was at a wrong place and at a wrong time.

She shouldn't even _be_ there.

And now she was hurt.

 _Marinette_.

Oh so badly that he let out a howl of fury and struck down the giant robot when it tossed her like some ragdoll to the side of the road, the sickening crunch of bone against building let something snap inside him that all hell was let loose. The moment he scratched the metal surface of the bionic being with his destruction, striking down again and again that even though his power had vanished, his claws scared the robot.

He was so immersed in his anger, having revenge coursing through his veins and consuming his frame that she was already out cold on the ground when he breathed heavily through his nose, slowly straightening up from his hunched position over the now destroyed thing under him.

When the akuma broke free, he didn't even spare it a glance as he bounded over the scraps of machine as fast as he could, his heart pounding against his chest before he skidded to a halt beside her.

Something physically froze inside him when he saw the way her right arm was twisted at a weird angle, her chest rising and falling at an alarmingly slow rate. Gently, he picked her up before scaling through the road to make his way towards the hospital as fast as he could, dodging and jumping over obstacles that managed to cross his path, turning a deaf ear towards everything and everyone around him while his brain kept roaring _protect protect protect_.

"Stay with me, princess," he muttered, tightening his hold onto her just the slightest bit as he went higher ground to avoid the traffic. "You're going to be fine."

And when he burst through the doors shouting for help, the nurses quickly pried her from him, where he had a hard time to let go despite wanting to make sure she was better as he quickly explained what happened.

"You can't go inside, Chat Noir," One of the nurses blocked his way when he tried to follow. "It's better to not be around her at the moment. After what you told us, she might have hit her head in the process that caused her to pass out, and the possibilities of her getting a concussion is almost avoidable, but we'll have to make sure she has some space so that she doesn't panic when she wakes up."

The nurse's words almost didn't make sense to him after everything that happened, but he pushed his emotions from crowding his brain as he took a step forward. "But-"

"I'm sorry." Before he could say anything else, she whirled around and pushed herself through the double doors, leaving the hero to stand there hopelessly as he stared after her.

He shook his head when he heard his ring gave him a warning, and began running out of the building when he felt rage coursing through his veins again, wanting to get rid of all the negativity that accumulated inside him.

He let the wind slam onto his face as adrenaline clawed in his systems, trying to shed all the heavy weight that managed to settle on his skin as his arms and legs effortlessly swung himself into the air, slipping past rooftops and alleys alike.

Ignoring another warning from his ring, he soared into the air again, praying that Marinette would be alright.

_Please._

_Don't leave me._


	4. Protective Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heaving out a sigh, he dragged his hand away and passed her the glass, his eyes drooping down. "I could have prevented this from happening to you."
> 
> She took a sip of plain water. "You couldn't have done anything."
> 
> "Of course I can," he interjected with almost an edge in his voice, raising his gaze from his lap to look at her sharply. "I could have gotten you somewhere safe first before I take out that gigantic thing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to Injury! Poor fictional characters suffering because of lil ol' me. But don't worry, they're okay now

"Chat, I'm fine."

It was a day after she gotten herself discharged out of the hospital. The doctor said she was lucky she didn't crack her skull, but instead her arm handled most of the blow that her radius shattered at three different places, and now she had to wear a cast after plastering the bone back together.

Chat shook his head, pushing her down back on chaise. "No, I'll get the water for you. Just don't move."

He could hear the way she sighed exasperatedly as he took the fully filled glass from her desk. "Chat, it's only there on my table, and it's not even far."

He wasn't able to see her the whole time she was at the hospital, five agonising days of beating himself up every time he saw the empty table behind him in class, where he had a hard time on focusing on his lessons as he became more fidgety over time that Alya and Nino began to worry.

The akuma had been purified the next day by Ladybug, where she had done it silently without him. The only reason why he knew was because he saw the white butterfly flying into the sky when he was on his way to his photoshoot sessions, and a second after that he saw Ladybug running on the rooftops. What surprised him was that instead of seeing her run freely, she almost seemed guarded, one of her arm cradled to her chest that sparked worry inside him.

It was later when he got the message from her apologising she couldn't help him fight the akuma, and said something about having to deal with some personal issues that needed her full attention.

And the moment he found out Marinette was coming home, he made sure to visit her when he can and help her.

Hence, the current attitude she had on him at the moment.

He pursed his lips when he walked towards her. "What if your foot got stuck on one of the table's legs and you fall on your broken arm? What then?"

She rubbed her temples with her good hand. "You're being paranoid. Stop it."

"It's a possibility," he argued as he sat beside her. "And I'm only being cautious."

"And I said I'm fine," she tried to assure him. "I broke my arm, not my feet. And so walking wouldn't be a problem."

"But _still_ -"

"Hey," Suddenly, he felt slim fingers tugging his chin so that he could look at her in the eye, where there was an intense determination in them that he found himself not able to look away. "I'm _fine_. I can walk on my own, and I can take things on my own. You don't have to worry about anything, I may be a klutz at times, but I _can_ be careful."

He studied her for a while, letting his eyes wonder over the scars that managed to stray on her skin. Raising his hand, he let a thumb brush against her cheek. He wasn't cupping her face per say, since he didn't fully touch her skin and she didn't lean into his hand, but instead she dropped her hand from his chin and onto his chest, never breaking his eye contact.

Heaving out a sigh, he dragged his hand away and passed her the glass, his eyes drooping down. "I could have prevented this from happening to you."

She took a sip of plain water. "You couldn't have done anything."

"Of course I can," he interjected with almost an edge in his voice, raising his gaze from his lap to look at her sharply. "I could have gotten you somewhere safe first before I take out that gigantic _thing_."

She gave him a half smile. "It wanted your attention more," she paused. "I'm sorry I made you worry, but it's not your fault. If anything, I blame myself."

He shook his head. "Look, it's not-"

"Exactly, isn't it?" she cut him off, her bright blue eyes prodding into his that he realised at what she was trying to make him see. "None of us are at fault. I just happened to be there at a terrible time while you were only doing your job to save people. Besides," she averted her gaze from him almost nervously, delaying the next of her words as she took another sip of her drink. "What's one person compared to a hundred people?"

He sucked in his breath sharply, taking hold of her good shoulder before he could think what he was doing. "Don't _ever_ say that," he said lowly as she faced him in surprise. "You're as important as they are, you're important to _me_. And I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you that I won't be able to reverse it. As it is," his eyes flickered towards her injured arm. "I'm already hating myself."

She stared at him. "You're only human, Chat," she told him quietly. "You can't fix everything on your own, even if it's already a disaster."

"I can _try_ to prevent it from happening in the first place now, can I?" He murmured, loosening his grasp on her shoulder and instead slid his hand down her arm, where he cradled her elbow in his palm tenderly. "And I've already failed at that."

"I'm fine, Chat." She insisted. "Trust me on this one when I say that my arm will be good as new in a few weeks and everything will be back to normal."

He cracked out a smile. "You'll be being your clumsy self, you mean?"

She rolled her eyes, gently pulling her arm out of his light grasp as he smirked. "I'm offended." They both shared a chuckle. "But it's getting late, and you should go home and rest after being here the whole day."

He stood up slowly. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

She nodded. "Positive."

He stayed quiet for a while. "If you need anything, just call me-"

" _Chat_."

It took her another ten minutes to kick him out of the room, and she threatened to throw him out herself if he didn't leave soon, broken arm or not.


	5. Protective Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, she took a deep breath from where she had hidden herself in the shadows of the corner of her room and stepped out, walking towards Chat who had passed out on her chaise with the emergency box in her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know

Chat was badly hurt.

And Tikki was eating the cookies as fast as she could so that Marinette could have a look at her partner.

But he was hurt too badly, he needed her attention _now_.

And that meant risking her identity to him.

So, she took a deep breath from where she had hidden herself in the shadows of the corner of her room and stepped out, walking towards Chat who had passed out on her chaise with the emergency box in her hand.

She knelt on the ground beside him, where he was breathing shallowly through his mouth as her shaky hands took out all the equipment needed to apply on the large cuts across his chest, and she almost choked at the sight of his shredded suit and skin.

Slowly, she unzipped the front part of his suit that revealed just how badly wounded he was, and she began cleaning the cuts with a piece of cloth dipped with water first.

She was getting more worried when there wasn't any indication that he felt the pain, meaning that he was so out of it that it was as if his receptors couldn't even give signals to his brain that he was injured.

But she continued, right until she applied the alcohol and wrapped the bandages around his chest (noting yet again, that there wasn't even a _squeak_ of protest from him when the liquid was smeared onto his gaping wound), before setting him back down on the chaise gently as he continued to sleep.

She sighed, lowering her head so that she could press her lips onto his forehead.

"Wake up, kitty," she muttered against his skin, gripping his gloved fingers.

"Nap time's over."


	6. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I like someone else." She tried to reason with him almost desperately, tried to tell him that they should stop this nonsense this instant and not dig their graves any deeper than they already did. 
> 
> He let out a breathless chuckle, pressing a kiss onto the side of her neck. "But then you're here with me now, aren't you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6. "I like someone else."
> 
> Hm beware of mild make out (is that even a thing??? Idk I just wanted to warn you guys in case you didn't expect it and won't have a heart attack because of it) 
> 
> As I mentioned before in the first chapter, I'll only be writing drabbles for Marichat May. Meaning, most of the things here would be less than 1k while some would be slightly more than that. If I feel like it, it would reach 2k. But for now, I'm keeping things to the minimum. Just wanted to clear some misunderstanding so that I wouldn't have any dissatisfied readers (you guys are the best even if these chapters are too short to your liking bless you)

They had to stop soon.

_Mon dieu_ , they had to stop soon.

They were hurting themselves, they knew this the moment he first kissed her on her balcony late at night when every life was asleep and no one knew of their little secret.

He attacked her with more kisses after that, and she selfishly accepted them all without a second thought to what would happen to them in the future, where all she thought was that he was _there_ with her and that was already more than enough.

But they couldn't stop no matter how much they wanted to.

They started making up excuses for the other to believe them, but they knew they were lying to each other.

And that did nothing to prevent them from going back.

His kisses were fire, they were swift onto her skin as he nipped his way down her neck and across her collarbones, hands hungrily gripping her hips when the line of his body was pressed flushed against hers, where she could feel the way his stomach rippled when she ran her hands onto his front.

Her fingers combed though his soft blond hair and to his cheeks, where she jerked his head up so that she could taste his lips again, and before they knew it, they lost themselves to each other.

She could feel the way his nails grazed lightly against her back, trailing mindless patterns under her shirt as she sank her teeth into his bottom lip, before she let go with a gasp when he swiftly ran a nailed finger up her spine that she felt the electric pulses tingling to her toes.

"Princess," he murmured, and he began peppering her with soft kisses on her lips then, sweet and teasing as she felt the way his tail had a mind of its own when it began brushing against the inner side of her legs. She tiptoed to catch his lips fully with hers again.

She found herself being pressed against the wall of her bedroom, the cool surface was a great contrast to their heated bodies as she trailed her mouth across his cheek, nipping the corner of his jaw that he released a sharp breath.

She kissed there once. "I like someone else." She tried to reason with him almost desperately, tried to tell him that they should stop this nonsense this instant and not dig their graves any deeper than they already did.

He let out a breathless chuckle, pressing a kiss onto the side of her neck. "But then you're here with me now, aren't you?"

She ran her fingers up his abdomen and chest, feeling every curve and budge of his body under her before looping her arms around his shoulders. "We shouldn't be doing this."

He hummed thoughtfully, and she felt the way his tail winded itself around her leg again when he dragged his bottom lip against hers teasingly before backing away, making her groan in frustration as she tried to chase his mouth. "You're probably right," he agreed. "But I think I like you though, and I can't change anything about it."

She leaned back slightly so that she could meet his gaze, seeing the way those green feline eyes blinked back at her. "You don't mean that," she told him quietly. "What about Ladybug?"

He gave an amused smirk, and she fluttered her eyes closed when he leaned forward and nudged her nose with his. "Well, she's currently in my arms right now, isn't she?"

She stuttered when there was a flash of green light.


	7. Adrien Posters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But it's just surprising I guess," he told her as he jabbed a thumb towards them. "The guy is actually so bored that he would have slept if he could."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very, VERY short but I still like it all the same. 
> 
> Oh yeah, none of these drabbles are connected in anyway possible unless I say they're connected. e.g. Injured and Protective Chat. 
> 
> Also, another reveal drabble!

There were at least five of them pasted on her bedroom wall when Chat Noir first step foot inside the space of pink hues, and he couldn't stop the burst of laughter from escaping his lips when he saw himself posing for the camera.

He had to duck from the cushion she hurtled at him, her face red with embarrassment.

He apologised quickly, saying that he didn't mean to laugh when he did and he was really sorry about that.

"But it's just surprising I guess," he told her as he jabbed a thumb towards them. "The guy is actually so bored that he would have slept if he could."

She peered at him suspiciously. "And how would you know that?"

He shrugged. "I know Adrien."

She didn't seem convinced.

But then, a few years later, where they were older and bolder over time that she had put down the posters and kept them in her drawers while leaving the wall bare, he showed her who he really was.

And he had to duck to avoid her pencil case as she screamed bloody murder, her face still the same shade of red from the last time he embarrassed her. He laughed as he swooped towards her and wrapped her up in his hug, where she simply deflated with defeat and groaned loudly in frustration into his chest.


	8. Pas de deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fine. But for one dance, and then I'm going home."
> 
> He grinned when she began clicking through the songs to find the right one. "Once is already enough, princess. Unless, of course," he raised an eyebrow at her. "You'd give me the honour of dancing with you again."
> 
> She rolled her eyes as they made their way towards the middle of the clearing. "In your dreams, kitty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8. Dancing
> 
> This is a 1940s ballerina AU! This AU has been one of my favourite AUs of this fandom and I've been meaning to write about it for a long time. Enjoy!

It was late at night, and she was supposed to go home hours ago.

But Marinette thought she wasn't good enough.

And so she practiced, dancing with determination and will as she remembered the steps by heart, hearing the murmurs of her mentor guiding in her ears as her whole body moved with such fluidity while her feet skimmed on the ground with fluttering steps, arms poised elegantly above her head as the soft music from where the radio stood on the top of the piano filled in the empty studio.

The last of the music faded away, and then she let out the batted breath.

The sound of applause pulled her out of her reverie and she whirled towards the source, where she found Chat Noir leaning against the frame of the door with his mask intact, a smile stretched across his lips.

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," he made his way towards her while she reached for the radio and switched it off, before grabbing the water bottle beside it. "I thought I'd practice more, but it looks like you beat me to it."

She took a gulp of water. "I was about to leave actually, the studio's all yours."

But before she could walk out of there, however, he stopped her by resting a hand on her shoulder. "Wait," she stared at him enquiringly, allowing him to talk. "What if we practice together? Since we're going to be lead roles in The Nutcracker, I thought it would be better if we get used to each other's movements more so that if we did mess up, we'll get each other's backs by tinkering around with some things," he dropped his hand to the side, where the heat of his touch was left imprinted on her skin. "If you want to, that is."

She let her eyes flicker over him, taking note of the relaxed way he stood as he waited for her answer, before she nodded slowly. "Fine. But for _one_ dance, and then I'm going home."

He grinned when she began clicking through the songs to find the right one. "Once is already enough, princess. Unless, of course," he raised an eyebrow at her. "You'd give me the honour of dancing with you again."

She rolled her eyes as they made their way towards the middle of the clearing. "In your dreams, kitty."

He let out a chuckle as they went into position. "It's worth a shot, I guess."

And then, they moved.

She never really knew his real identity ever since she started joining Miraculous a couple of years ago, where she was handpicked by her teacher to pursue her dreams in becoming a ballerina to preform in front of many people. Her role as Clara in The Nutcracker had been her second major role for the past five years since she was picked as a professional ballerina, where the first role she had ever held was as Swan Lake.

But this was the first time she had to work with him personally.

She never did ask about his real name, and the other people around her had only settled on calling him Chat, where she thought that they had provably given up on asking him for his identity before she came into the picture.

She felt the firmness of his grasp as he moved with her, where she was able to feel the heat that emitted from his chest as she stood in front of him, her head turned to the side where she could see the way his hand held hers while his breath ghosted against her exposed neck.

She could have sworn she felt the slightest brush of his lips against her skin the moment they twirled around, where they moved with the music. 

Moments later when the music drifted into an end, Marinette found herself searching his face from where he wrapped an arm around her waist while he only stared back at her quietly, waiting for her to say a word.

Hesitantly, she brushed the edge of his mask with her fingers, making him flinch.

She withdrew them slightly. "Who are you?" She murmured.

He only caught her hand with his, grazing her fingertips with his lips.

"Danseur."


	9. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wait, you've never watch Titanic before?"
> 
> "Nope."
> 
> A gape. "Okay, grab the blankets and pillows, I'll be right back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I haven't watch Titanic too.

"Okay, so, what do you want to watch tonight?"

"Well, I've always wanted to watch the classics. Do you have any of those?"

Insistent clicking of the mouse. "Yep, I have The Raven, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Sense and Sensibility, Dorian Grey, Titanic-"

"Ooh, let's watch that!"

"What, Titanic?"

A nod. "Yep, I've never actually seen it before, but I know how it goes somewhat."

"Wait, you've _never_ watch Titanic before?"

"Nope."

A gape. "Okay, grab the blankets and pillows, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"To make hot chocolate and to bring up some popcorn because you, Mister Chat, are going to watch the movie where you'll probably bawl your eyes out."

Chest puffed. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"This movie will change that statement."

* * *

"Okay, so, ready?"

"I'm snuggled in a giant blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in my hands while the popcorn is just between us where we can both reach for it easily. I'm ready."

"Alright, aaaand we're rolling."

.....

.....

"Her fiancé is a dick."

"I know."

......

......

"Oh look, they're spinning. I hope they don't barf."

"Chat, they're on a constantly moving ship where there would be waves making the ride not as smoothly as any other vehicle would. Some spinning won't effect them.

"But, this is like, the ultimate barf mode."

"Okay, ew. Just watch it."

.....

.....

"I am _so_ using that."

"I will hit you if you do."

"I'm totally using that, and you can't stop me."

"Yes, I totally can."

He slides to his side. "Paint me like one of your French girls- ow! Hey! Princess, I'm sorry!"

"Do that again and I'll change this cushion with the bowl."

.....

.....

"Oh, oh man, it's starting!"

"Shush!"

.....

.....

"Run bitch, run!"

"Chat, shut up."

"The ship's sinking, princess, I'm giving them the encouragement."

"It's not like they can hear you!"

"It's for their own good."

.....

.....

"After all that havoc and yet they look-"

"Don't."

"Chill."

.....

.....

"There's space! They can _share_ , what is _wrong_ -"

"Chat, shut up."

.....

.....

"Oh look, humanised popsicles."

"Chat, _no_."

.....

.....

"One thing that reminds her of him and she just drops it in the sea. Incredible."

"It slipped."

"Yeah, like he did."

"Oh Lord."

.....

.....

"Wait, Chat, are you _crying?_ "

"Celine Dion's voice is _so_ beautiful."


	10. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're early this time."
> 
> He gave her another strained smile. "I don't control these type of things, princess."
> 
> She patted on the empty space beside her, prompting him to come nearer. "I know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-reveal! Angst of course.

She felt hands touching her face.

Gloved hands.

Fluttering her eyes open, she saw Chat kneeling beside her with his head bowed, his shoulders drooping with weariness.

"Chat?" She croaked out, causing him to snap his head up as she sat up in her bed, rubbing her eye to get rid of the drowsiness that still lingered on her eyelids. "What are you doing here?"

Once she could see properly, she was surprised to see the way he looked absolutely exhausted from where the moonlight streamed from the trap door and shone onto him, accenting the way his smile was pulled too tightly around his face, an attempt in reassuring her that he was fine. "I needed to see you."

She understood then, and made herself comfortable by leaning against the pillows. "What time is it?"

He shrugged. "Around two in the morning."

She hummed, straightening the duvet. "You're early this time."

He gave her another strained smile. "I don't control these type of things, princess."

She patted on the empty space beside her, prompting him to come nearer. "I know."

He did, crawling towards her before settling by her side, winding his arms around her waist before burying his face into her neck. He heaved out a breath. "I'm sorry for this."

She ran her fingers through his tousled hair, messier than normal that she had a feeling that he left for her room the moment he woke up. "I don't mind," she shrugged slightly, careful not to jostle him too much. "And you always come during the weekends, which I think you do that on purpose."

"Yeah," he breathed out, tickling her skin. "I didn't want to bother you."

"Like I said before," she consoled, embracing him lightly. "I don't mind if you ever did come during the weekdays."

The silence stretched before them, wrapping them in this serenity as she waited for him to talk first while she continued to comb her fingers through his hair. It had always been like that, she didn't want to push him about this, wanting him to talk to her only when he was ready.

He took a deep breath, as if recollecting himself. "It's always her."

She kept quiet, and only squeezed his arm lightly to encourage him further.

"And I couldn't do anything about it," he continued quietly, his voice barely a whisper that it broke her a little inside. "She'll always disappear. One day she's beside me, talking and laughing, and the next she's slipping through my fingers again. When I called for her, she didn't answer."

The last of his sentence broke, and she only tightened her hold on him as she turned her head to nuzzle his hair, where she already felt him shaking in her arms. "It's cruel, you know," he laughed bitterly. "To have your own mother taken away like that."

Cupping his face, she gently guided his face so that he could look at her. "I'm sorry," she murmured, looking into his glassy eyes as she brushed his bangs away. "I'm so sorry, Adrien."

He sobbed as she kissed his forehead.


	11. Hold Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He ran his hands down her arms, letting his eyes scrutinise her to find any injuries that he might be worried of. When he found none, he sighed softly in relief, letting his hands fall to her elbows as he brought her closer towards him. "I almost lost you," he whispered, bowing so that he rested his forehead lightly on the crown of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to Nightmare! Day 11. "I almost lost you.

Someone he loved dearly was already snatched away from him.

He wasn't going to let her go through that same fate as well.

And he wasn't sure his heart could take another breaking.

He had to catch her first though.

He had to catch her _now_.

But he was going as fast as he could, the air slicing past his skin as he locked his jaw, squinting through the harsh air when he saw her wide eyes staring back at him as she fell, thrown over the top of the Eiffel Tower by the akuma.

_Marinette_.

He tucked his arms to his sides and snapped his legs closed, adding more momentum and acceleration to his fall as the distance between them shortened.

_Almost there._

She reached out for him, and once he knew he was close enough, he yanked her towards him with his arm clutching onto her waist, where she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck while he took out his baton.

"Hold on!" He shouted over the shrieking wind and aimed one end of his baton towards the Eiffel Tower, where the moment his pressed the button, it extended until it lodged itself onto the large building, where he tightened his hold onto her as they were abruptly halted in mid-air.

Feeling the his heartbeat thudded against his chest from adrenaline, he pressed the button again, and the baton shortened itself towards the Eiffel Tower and pulled them both towards it. He quickly helped her climbed on, where she immediately backed towards the surface of the metal building while he scrambled up to follow her.

He lengthened his baton towards the ground, holding out his hand towards her that she took without missing a beat before he settled them both back down on the flat surface of the earth. 

Once he let her go, he saw the way she opened her purse, murmuring words towards Tikki. "You alright there, Tikki?"

The kwami nodded. "I'm alright. I'm more worried of you."

Marinette met his eyes. "I'm fine." He knew she directed those words towards him as much she was reassuring Tikki, and he slowly walked towards her while she closed the purse again.

He ran his hands down her arms, letting his eyes scrutinise her to find any injuries that he might be worried of. When he found none, he sighed softly in relief, letting his hands fall to her elbows as he brought her closer towards him. "I almost lost you," he whispered, bowing so that he rested his forehead lightly on the crown of her head.

She tentatively touched his chest. "I'm okay," she replied quietly.

He pressed his lips on her cheek. "Promise you won't get yourself into that kind of situations again."

She smiled at him wryly. "I'm Ladybug, Chat, I'm _always_ in that kind of situations."

"Promise me to _try_ then," he murmured, trailing his lips to the corner of her mouth. "I can't lose you too."

Her breath hitched. "Fine," she finally relented as he feathered a kiss over her lips. She backed away slightly, eyes flickering around them. He noticed she turned slightly pink. "People are staring."

He smirked, winding his arms around her and pulled her flush to his chest. "So?"

Her blush darkened. " _Chat_."

He hummed. "Let's put up a show, shall we?"

And then, he captured her lips with his.


	12. Sleep Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So," he began, dropping his hand so that he could lace their fingers together. "All this time you knew about Plagg?"
> 
> She shrugged. "You sleep talk when you were in my room the other day."
> 
> He blinked at her. "I did what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reveal fic, with a bit of adrienette at the end.

If there was one thing Marinette found out about Chat was that he tend to sleep talk during his naps at her room.

And it was usually about cheese.

"No more, Plagg." He mumbled again, turning around so that he snuggled deeper into the curled position he was on the chaise before effectively falling asleep again.

She had a feeling that this Plagg was his kwami, who had a distinction liking of cheese that the boy would even have dreams of them arguing about it, much to her amusement as she recorded a video of him swatting what she assumed was a dream induced kwami.

She was entertaining at the thought of using this to get what she wanted from him, but that would be too cruel and instead gave him small packages of cheese as a joke, it changed in all types of varieties every time he visited.

When he stared at her in confusion the first time she gave him a packet, she only shrugged. "I heard you like cheese."

"Where did you hear that?" He wrinkled his nose. "Because -though I appreciate your kind gift- I'm not exactly fond of cheese."

She grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Maybe, but someone else does."

He eyed her rather suspiciously then.

It became some sort of routine after that. She would hand him some cheese for his kwami and some tarts for himself because she felt rather sympathetic towards him for carrying strong scented dairy, and then he would leave her room with a sigh in a good natured way of how he would smell like mold for the rest of the night.

It took them a few months more to continue that, until they revealed their alter ego's identities on top of an abandoned mansion where the moment Plagg was released, he immediately latched himself onto her cheek, and she was surprised to hear the rumble of purrs that were emitted from him.

"Kid," Plagg began as Adrien snorted in disbelief at the sight. "Those cheeses were the best things I've ever had."

Tikki giggled while Marinette stroked a finger on the cat-like kwami's head, a grin stretched across her face. "Well, I'm glad that you like it."

"He won't shut up about it," Adrien eyed his kwami with a disapproving glare. "He wasn't like that whenever I gave him cheese."

Plagg sniffed, still not moving from his place at the side of her face. "Homemade cheese is much better than store bought."

Adrien narrowed his eyes. "Beggars can't be choosers."

Marinette laughed as Tikki pulled Plagg into a bone crushing hug that made the kwami yowl out in protest, while Adrien only stroked Marinette's cheek with the back of his hand, a smile on his face that she answered with a timid one of her own.

"So," he began, dropping his hand so that he could lace their fingers together. "All this time you knew about Plagg?"

She shrugged. "You sleep talk when you were in my room the other day."

He blinked at her. "I did what?"

"Sleep talk. In fact," she let a Cheshire grin stretched across her lips, taking glee on the wariness he donned. "I have proof."

He blanched slightly. "I sleep talk about Plagg and cheese? And you took -what I assume- a video of it?"

"Pretty much."

He grimaced. "Plagg's infatuation with mold wormed its way into my sleep too." He shook his head with a sigh. "Why am I not surprised?"

She only laughed, tackling him into a hug that he joined her in her merriment too.


	13. Pas de deux (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hummed, eyeing the flowers with a critical gaze. "That's a lot of flowers." He met her eyes. "A fan of yours?"
> 
> "A friend. He said he wanted to catch up after I'm done," she planted her hand on the dresser to support her weight, smiling softly at the flowers that she didn't notice the way how he became tensed. "It's been years since I last saw him, it would be really nice to talk to him again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13. Possessive Kitty 
> 
> Part 2 of my 1940s Ballerina AU from Pas de deux aka Day 8. Dancing!
> 
> Note that they're grown up in this au, like in part 1, they're around 22.

Tonight was the night Marinette was going to make sure the audience would have the time of their lives.

She was getting ready in front of the mirror, applying some powder onto her cheeks in the personal room they've specifically given to her for use, where she wasn't in the crowd of other dancers as they all had to share a large room between themselves. She was grateful though, because she wanted a moment or two to recollect herself before facing them all at once.

Setting down the powder on the desk, she studied her reflection, noting the way the make up artists did an excellent job on applying the eyeliner and some glittery eyeshadow as well as putting her hair into a tight bun. The head accessory complimented her tutu beautifully, where both garments were light pink while the bodice would sparkle if she moved, catching the eye of those who passed her way. She made a mental note to thank the designers for making it later on.

There was a knock on the door that made her straighten up, and she walked towards it to pulled it open, only to be greeted by what it looked like a shrub of pink roses.

She blinked in surprise as the delivery man peered from the side. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng?"

"Yes?"

He held out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. "Sign here please."

When she did, he waddled in and set the roses on her the coffee table, before he nodded towards her. "That's about it, miss."

"Thank you but who is it from?" She asked as he walked out, and he checked the paper she signed.

"Someone called Nathanaël." He walked away. "Good day, miss."

She closed the door softly and turned towards the large bouquet of flowers that seemed to envelop the table whole. Making her way towards it, she plucked out the card that was sticking out among the roses, and let a smile graced her lips when she read the message written on it.

_Good luck, Marinette. I'm sure you can do it._

_Maybe we could catch up after this at a nearby cafe? My treat of course. I don't mind if you don't want to but it would be nice seeing you again after all these years._

_-Nath_

It was sweet of him to go through the trouble of doing this, and to think that the flowers he bought was the same colour as her tutu was a complete coincidence. She was warmed by the idea that someone other than her parents out there among the crowd of people was supporting her tonight, and she made another mental note to visit Nathanaël later.

Someone was knocking on her door again.

"Come in." She called out.

When it opened, she saw Chat Noir walking in with a grin on his face, but it faltered slightly when he saw the mass of roses that occupied at one side of her room. He closed the door behind him before leaning against it with his arms crossed. "I didn't know you were gardening in a short span of time."

Rolling her eyes, she set aside the card on her dresser. "Very funny. Someone gave me these roses, that's all."

He hummed, eyeing the flowers with a critical gaze. "That's a lot of flowers." He met her eyes. "A fan of yours?"

"A friend. He said he wanted to catch up after I'm done," she planted her hand on the dresser to support her weight, smiling softly at the flowers that she didn't notice the way how he became tensed. "It's been years since I last saw him, it would be really nice to talk to him again."

"Where?"

There was an edge in his voice that made her look up, where she raised an eyebrow at his suddenly sullen look. "I don't see how's that your business."

He shrugged. "I'm just curious, that's all," he cracked a smile for her. "Our petite ladybug finally spread its wings."

She scowled at him. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," he answered in mock surprise, as if her question really caught him off guard. But she knew better of course, he was playing with her, a cat batting the toy mouse from a distance. "Why would you think I have a problem?"

"Well, for one you're acting as if there's a stick up your ass," she crossed her arms, daring him to say a word against her statement. "Might as well spit it out now, Chat, we have another few minutes until the show starts and we wouldn't want to be late."

Grinning, he pushed himself off the door and stalked his way towards her, where she only stood tall with her head raised defiantly as she refused to back down. "These minutes wouldn't even cover half of what I've been wanting to say to you," he began once he stood in front of her, and she realised then that she was cornered between the dresser and his body, where she had to tilt her head slightly to look at him in the eye. "But, I can make this quick if you're willing to listen to me."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes again at his never ending drama, but only settled for sighing heavily through her nose. "Fine. What is it?"

Her heart stuttered when he leaned down so that they were eye to eye, and she could see the way how vivid his green eyes were under the black mask, smouldering into her core that she could only blinked back at him in surprise and anticipation. He saw her expression of course, and only settled for smirking. "Come now, princess," he purred. "I know you're not stupid, you've been noticing these things from me already, haven't you?"

She opened her mouth to fire back a retort, but no words seemed to come out that she immediately clamped her mouth shut. He chuckled, his breath ghosting over her cheek. "Cat got your tongue?"

She licked her dry lips, where that motion didn't go unnoticed from him when his eyes fluttered towards it. "You're never one for getting straight to the point, are you?" She questioned instead, applauding herself for the even tone she managed to let out.

He met her eyes again, letting a wry smile form. "Where's the fun in that?"

This time, she really did roll her eyes. "Look at us, never answering the questions," she clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. "How are we going to handle the press if we can't even deal with each other?"

He laughed shortly, leaning against the dresser as well that their bodies almost touched. "They're different."

She hummed, craning her head so that they were cheek to cheek, where his skin brushed against hers that she was satisfied to hear the sharp intake of breath he inhaled. "No," she murmured. "You're just complicated."

"Marinette!" The voice of her mentor, Tikki, called out as she pounded on the other side of the door. "It's time!"

Leaning back, she shot him a grin at his flabbergasted look before slipping away. As she was about to walk out, she tossed the last of her words over her shoulder. "You're not the only one who has cards hidden in their sleeves, chaton."

She thought she heard the way he visibly slumped against her dresser, and laughed quietly at his antics.

Dancing with him later was going to be _fun_.


	14. Possessive Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With determination flashing in her eyes, she walked towards them steadily.
> 
> After all, he was still hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-reveal. Not exactly my best work, but I do hope you'll find it more enjoyable than I do.

Sometimes, it was amusing for Marinette to see Chat being hounded by some fangirls, since he could handle them in his usual flamboyant way that she couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous he became to only impress a couple of girls who wanted to take pictures with him.

Other times, it worried her because she saw the way how uncomfortable he could get when the fans arrive after the heroes' battle with an akuma, because by then he would usually find excuses to politely decline their requests before he sprinted away to get cover before he revealed his identity in front of them all, that usually raised some mournful sighs when they saw him go.

But this time, as she walked out of an alley where she was already transformed into her civilian self, she saw that he was still crowded with some fans.

And he looked panicked.

She was surprised he didn't leave sooner, since he did used his signature power to take down the akuma.

But he couldn't say no to his fans.

So, Marinette had to rescue him sooner or later.

Again.

She sighed.

With determination flashing in her eyes, she walked towards them steadily.

After all, he was still _hers_.

His eyes lit up in relief when he saw her coming, and waved her over. "Princess!"

She almost cringed when everyone else turned towards her.

But she moved on, where he squeezed his way between the crowd so that he could meet her half way, giving her a friendly smile. "Hey, it's surprising-"

Without warning, Marinette took hold of his bell and pulled him down, pressing her lips firmly onto his that she was satisfied to hear the mortified gasps behind him.

Before he could respond, she leaned back, giving him a half smile when he gaped at her. "Well, I think I just bought you enough time to distract those fans of yours."

He mutely turn towards the way she nodded, where all of them were snapping pictures and whispering excitedly among themselves that Marinette thought this was probably a bad idea.

"Now go, kitty," she gently pushed him away. "Or your identity would be revealed."

He blinked, before shaking his head slightly to get rid of the momentary surprise she caused as he glanced down to his ring, where there was only one paw print left. He looked up towards her again, the beginnings of a grin began to form that she subconsciously took a step back. "And you're coming with me."

Without another word, he wrapped an arm around her waist and they shot off onto a building using his baton that the crowd behind them let out more gasps of surprise. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he jumped from one building to another, until they reached his house and catapulted into his open window, where they gently landed on his bedroom floor.

Before she could say another word, however, he was already pulling her flush into a kiss as she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, both of them laughing as his transformation finally ended.


	15. Costume Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can't believe you're wearing a cheap version of your suit," she hissed into his ear, hoping no one would hear them through the semi loud music that played around them. "People could recognise you, you dumb cat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another post-reveal drabble!

When Marinette saw him walking through the doors of Alix's house, she had to prevent herself from dropping her jaw open.

What the hell was he _wearing?_

More importantly, what was he _thinking?_

Excusing herself from her friends, and effectively ignoring the grin that stretched across Alya's face when her best friend saw her destination in mind, Marinette slipped her way through the crowd of people in various types of costumes as she swept away long tails with her broom, ducking under hanging obstacles before standing beside the blond near the refreshments area.

"Just _what_ are you wearing?"

He whirled around, a beam on his face when he saw her. "Princess! Or should I say," his eyes flitted over her costume. "Witch?"

Rolling her eyes, she gestured for him to come nearer. "I can't believe you're wearing a cheap version of your suit," she hissed into his ear, hoping no one would hear them through the semi loud music that played around them. "People could recognise you, you dumb cat."

It wasn't exactly a cheap version per say, because it was almost a complete copy of his real suit he usually wore when they were fighting akumas together. The only thing that gave away was that he wore a cat ears headband while the gloves he had on didn't have his signature claws, but the others were pretty much the same that she would have suspected that he really did used the ring to wear it to Alix's Halloween party.

But he wasn't that irresponsible or reckless, she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't abuse the Miraculous. Despite that, it still made her queasy all the same.

He leaned back slightly to raise an eyebrow. "Is that why you're so worried?"

Spluttering indignantly, she whacked him in the arm lightly with the handle of the broom, causing him to rub the spot slightly as he let out a monotonous 'ow'. "What do you think? People could see you in this and figure out you're the real Chat Noir instead of a fan."

He chuckled. "But the thing is, I _am_ the real Chat Noir," he whispered mischievously, winking at her before he straightened up. "And they won't connect the dots too soon, Plagg and Tikki told us that the magic will cover our real identities so that if anyone did try to figure it out, it'll be all blurry because somehow, the magic fogs their minds."

She crossed her arms disapprovingly. "I still think that you should be more careful."

Sensing her worry wasn't waning anytime soon, he smiled softly at her in reassurance as he slipped his hands into hers. "I'll be more careful in the future."

She snorted, pulling him down so that she peck his cheek. "You better."

Chuckling, he returned the favour before straightening himself up. "Thank god I'm used to wearing this, I can walk easier without getting a wedgie once in a while."

"What do you mean _used_ to wearing it?"

Whirling around, both of them saw Alya and Nino walking towards them, wearing their costumes of Queen of Hearts and Einstein respectively. Nino raised a bushy eyebrow. "Man, have you been prancing around Paris as Chat Noir?"

Adrien blinked at him innocently. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, for one, _Chat_ ," Alya cut in, propping her hands on her hips with her wand in her grasp. "You just said you're used to wearing this second skin of yours, and don't act innocent in front of me, boy," she wagged her wand threateningly at him when he began to speak. "We know what we heard, and you know we won't leave until we get what we want."

Adrien glanced at Marinette briefly, but she merely shrugged and helped herself to some juice. "Traitor," he grumbled under his breath. "Well, see, I have a specific reason to wear this suit and it's strictly classified for you to know, so," he shrugged. "Sorry guys."

Nino squinted at him, his eyes almost disappearing behind his fake eyebrows. "What's so classified that-" As if a sudden though just crashed onto him at that moment, Nino's eyes turned as wide as his bushy eyebrows allowed him. "No. Way."

Adrien stared warily at him when Nino began wagging his finger at his best friend. "What?"

"Hoooo, I can't _believe_ you, Adrien," Nino swooped towards him and slapped him on the back, almost making the blond topple at the sudden strength his friend possessed. "You _animal_."

Alya seemed to catch what Nino was getting and her jaw dropped too, covering her mouth with the heart on her wand. "Oh my."

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a glance. "Okay, what did you two just realised?" She asked.

"Well," Nino cleared his throat as he began using his best professor voice. "It would seem that our dear Adrien had said that he used his Chat Noir suit for a specific reason only, not to mention it's classified for us to know just what this reason is he speaks of. With this mysterious mystery in mind-"

"Mysterious mystery?" Adrien snorted.

"-this could only lead to one conclusion," he prompted them to come nearer, his eyes flickering over their heads briefly to see if anyone was within their earshot. When there was none, he looked them all gravely in the eye. "Adrien works at a _strip club_."

Marinette choked on her drink, trying to smother her laughter by clasping her hand over her mouth while Adrien only blinked back at Nino and Alya, where the two didn't even try to hide their amusement as they howled, leaning against each other for support.

Adrien spluttered indignantly. "I do _not_ work at a strip club, my dad will _kill_ me if I do. Besides, I don't even _have_ the time to do that."

"But that's what the mask is for, isn't it?" Alya wheezed out, wiping away a tear as Nino continued to laugh. "Your dad won't even _know_."

Marinette only clamped her jaw shut to prevent herself from laughing, the grin still spread wide that Adrien groaned. " _Don't_."

She merely shrugged idly. "I didn't even say anything."

"But you were thinking about it." He protested.

She hummed thoughtfully, standing to her toes to bring her mouth closer to his ear. "A personal show would be nice."

The laughter bubbled out of her before she could stop it when she saw the way he turned as red as her alter ego's suit.


	16. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why would I lie to you, Chat Noir?"
> 
> He locked his jaw, gripping the iron rod in obvious agitation that she wouldn't be surprised if he dented it. "Because I know you," he replied gravely, his feline eyes gleamed back at her from where the moon shone on them. "I know you wouldn't do things like that, you're not an idiot."

"You're lying."

Marinette shook her head, a wry smile on her lips as she faced the hero perched on her railing. "Why would I lie to you, Chat Noir?"

He locked his jaw, gripping the iron rod in obvious agitation that she wouldn't be surprised if he dented it. "Because I know you," he replied gravely, his feline eyes gleamed back at her from where the moon shone on them. "I know you wouldn't do things like that, you're not an idiot."

"But you've always known about this, haven't you?" She interjected quietly. "And after I said it aloud, you spit it back into my face by claiming that I'm lying."

"Because I don't want you to do it," he replied with an edge, slipping down from the railing so that they were on the same level, and she was reminded then at just how tall he actually was. "You _can't_ do it."

"I don't have control on what I feel, Chat," she finally snapped, glaring up at him. "It came, and I endured it for a while. But I had to tell you how I feel about you because it's," she let out a humourless chuckle. "It's _breaking_ me."

He stared at her, before looking away to the side that made her heart crack more. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his hands clenching by his sides. "But I can't let you love me."

"It's because of Ladybug, isn't it?" She asked almost bitterly, thinking how ironic it was that he only loved one part of her when she already loved all of him, both as Adrien and Chat Noir. But he doesn't know that, and she wasn't sure she wanted him finding out about her secret at the moment when everything seemed so out of place. "You love her."

His eyes turned hard then. "Don't do this, Marinette."

No nicknames this time. _Good_. "You love her so much that it's actually hurting you," she continued mercilessly, standing tall to appear defiant. "You've been trying to get her attention for _years_ , but she's been shooting you down for another guy and you're too late to do anything about it. You tried to forget about her, but she's just _there_ in your mind, _infesting_ -"

Suddenly, the wind was sucked out of her lungs when he pushed her towards the wall of her home, being careful not to hit her head against the rough surface as he gripped her arms. He breathed heavily from where he caved her in, not allowing her to move anymore than she could as she only stayed still, her own heart beating in her ears.

"Don't," he croaked out against her cheek. " _Say_ that."

She knew she was pushing her luck, but fire was already coursing through her veins that she didn't want to stop. "But it's true. You know this as much as I do."

"And just how did you find out about my deep dark secret, princess?" He growled lowly. "You've been sticking your nose into business that doesn't have anything to do with you again, haven't you? Even if this isn't akuma related, I told you to stop doing that."

She let out a breath of dry laughter. "Oh please, kitty, I was already pulled into your little problem ever since we first got tangled together in the middle of the street."

He stiffened. "What-"

"But, it's hypocritical, don't you think?" She continued as if he hadn't spoken, knowing that the little clue she slipped out would somehow help get it through his thick head that she knew who he was exactly and she wanted him to know that she was actually Ladybug. "You told me not to love you because you think it'll hurt me when you're experiencing this kind of pain yourself by loving someone you think you don't have a chance with."

"I'm going to say this again," she managed to glower at him despite the tight space they have between them, despite the way her heart was thudding loudly against her chest that he probably felt it.

"I. Love. You."


	17. Paparazzi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But, paparazzi wasn't his thing. Hero or not, he rather not have anyone stalking him everytime he was out eating with his friends or even just went out in public. It was tedious, it would attract attention he didn't want, and he had enough flashes making him blind to last him a life time.
> 
> So, he ignored them most of the time.
> 
> Until, of course, it was getting out of control.

There were bound to be people who would want to have a glimpse of their heroes after they managed to defeat another monstrous thing that had been making a mess of the town.

Chat didn't mind the cameras and microphones most of the time, but he usually let Ladybug do all the talking while he preferred consoling Hawkmoth's victims at the back, where he was much content on making sure that they didn't went through anything traumatic that needed medical attention.

Since he had his share of cameras when he took off the mask.

But, paparazzi wasn't his thing. Hero or not, he rather not have anyone stalking him everytime he was out eating with his friends or even just went out in public. It was tedious, it would attract attention he didn't want, and he had enough flashes making him blind to last him a life time.

So, he ignored them most of the time.

Until, of course, it was getting out of control.

Because just as he was about to visit his princess during the night, he saw a glimpse of something moving quietly on the dark streets. Initially thinking it was an akuma, he jumped onto another building before sitting idly on the edge of it, dangling his feet as he took out his baton to feign interest.

Blessed by his heightened senses, he listened quietly at the way feet shuffled on the road, no doubt finding a perfect spot to strike the hero at the right moment. Chat found himself tensing, ready to attack when suddenly, he heard the click of a camera.

_What the hell?_

He swivelled his head towards the place he knew the paparazzi was following him, giving them the best glare he could muster towards them. But it was only a man taking another picture of him on the side of the road, and he didn't seemed perturbed by the fact that Chat Noir was openly annoyed at him for following him where he was.

Chat decided to loose him.

He set aside his baton and stood up, taking his time in stretching out the kinks in his back before he rolled his shoulders, glancing down to see that the photographer had yet to leave and was taking more pictures of him. Snorting, Chat dropped his arms and starting walking towards the corner of the building.

He made a show of turning around towards the photographer and gave him a large grin with a small wave, where there was another wave of clicking from the camera. Chat took another step back, and then he fell backwards and off the building.

He could hear the way the photographer gasped into the quiet night as Chat Noir disappeared in front of him.

Still grinning, Chat took out his baton and lengthened it so that it caught on one of the railings, stopping his fall abruptly. He quickly climbed to another building and slithered into the shadows before the photographer had a chance to follow him.

Later on Marinette's balcony, he made sure no one saw him when he got in through her trapdoor, where he immediately tackled the girl to her bed that made her yelp the moment she locked the door above them.

"Well, it's good to see you too." She commented with amusement, but he only buried his face further into her neck. "What's wrong?"

He huffed. "More paparazzi. And I can't believe they even followed me during the night."

He let the tension released from his shoulders when she combed her fingers through his hair. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's annoying."

"Well," she gently kissed his hair. "You're here now."

He hummed thoughtfully, responding her affection with a kiss of his own, planted sloppily on her cheek. "You're right about that, princess."


	18. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know, if you wanted to come by and see me, you could have said so without actually lying to me."
> 
> He let out a burst of laughter. "Well, half of what I said was true, princess. I did wanted to star gaze, but I didn't want to do it alone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reveal drabble, with a tiny bit of adrienette at the end. This drabble is aged up by the way, where they'll be eighteen in this, and beware of some subtle mentions of nudity and sex (it's not detailed at all, just saying y'know)

_One_

"Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Marinette almost jumped out of her skin when he spoke beside her, where she hadn't notice him lounging on the ledge when she first sat on the chair of her balcony, simply enjoying the cool breeze as she played a game on her phone after spending the whole evening doing her homework.

She wrapped the funnel blanket around herself a little tighter than before, narrowing her eyes on him. "What are you doing here?" Pleasantries were long gone at this point, since she had been in Chat Noir's presence more often than not when she wasn't in her alter ego's suit.

He grinned at her through the light of her phone. "Enjoying the night."

She huffed. "Couldn't you have done that on your own balcony?"

He shrugged and continued looking up. "My balcony is too small for me to lay down like this. It's not very comfortable to cramp yourself up at the corner of the floor, you know."

"And you decided it would be a great idea to come by my house and use my balcony where you can spread yourself all over it," she finished his sentence with a deadpan, and he only nodded enthusiastically. "You know, if you wanted to come by and see me, you could have said so without actually lying to me."

He let out a burst of laughter. "Well, half of what I said _was_ true, princess. I _did_ wanted to star gaze, but I didn't want to do it alone."

She blinked. "You're alone at your house?"

He didn't look at her when he answered. "I'm an only child, you could say that I get a little lonely sometimes, so I thought I'd hang out with a friend." He glanced at her, worry began to weigh down his cheery mood into something somber. "If you don't mind, that is. I could leave if you want me too."

At this point, her phone had locked itself and brought out the light with it, where the half moon and street lights were their only company at the moment. She could see the way he was still looking up to the sky, waiting for her answer. "No," she heard herself say, and he glanced at her again. "You can stay for a while, but try not to make a racket when you're here."

He chuckled as she leaned against the chair again. "I'm not always jumping off the walls, you know."

Rolling her eyes, she put aside her phone and decided to join him in star gazing. "So, do you see any constellations?"

"Well," he started, pointing towards one. "There's Draco, and then there's Phoenix, Hercules, Sirius, and Orion."

Her eyes followed where he showed her, amazed at his knowledge of them. "It's surprising how you could see so many stars here," she commented. "Since we're in the city and usually the pollution blocks most of the them out."

"We got lucky tonight then," he agreed.

She turned towards him. "You're familiar with this. Do you always do this by yourself? Star gazing and knowing the constellations?"

His expression softened at her words, a small smile playing on his lips. "I didn't usually do this alone, I have someone else to accompany me when I wanted to learn more about the stars."

He didn't make any indication to continue until she asked. "And sometimes you do this alone?"

His smile vanished, but he quickly picked up the scraps of what he let go and gave her a tight smile. "Well, most of the time nowadays. But it's fine," he tried to shrug naturally, but she noticed that his shoulders were too tense. "I got used to it."

She was curious, of course, on how he was so reluctant to tell his tale that he guarded them as if his life depended on it. But, it wasn't her place to pry, and so she wasn't going to push him for answers.

"Oh," she managed, and looked up to the stars again. "Maybe you can teach me how to know one?"

He grinned at her, and she could see the relief in his posture when he relaxed the slightest the moment she changed the subject. He sat up and crossed his legs. "Alright, I'll start with common ones first, if I'm able to find them."

She nodded. "Okay."

* * *

_Two_

It was expected, she supposed.

They weren't exactly being subtle as time passed.

Expressing their adoration for each other, she meant.

"Draco."

She felt his trimmed nail tracing her bare back, no doubt moving from one freckle to another as if she was the universe full of blinking diamonds.

"Phoenix."

He brushed his lips against her nape, and the breath she released came out into a shudder, causing her to tighten the blankets around her.

"Hercules."

She couldn't see him. Despite what they shared between themselves, she still didn't know how he looked like, where he had all but released his transformation in the dark of her room earlier that night as she screwed her eyes closed when the green light flashed around them. She still didn't know how he looked like when he was kissing her as feverishly as she was latching onto him, pulling onto each others clothes until nothing came in between them.

She realised that these were the first few constellations he mentioned to her the first time he hung out on her balcony seven months ago, and the experience then was as exhilarating as it was at the moment.

"Sirius."

He moved his lips to the end of her jaw, where she was able to see his blonde hair at the corner of her vision.

She closed her eyes.

"Orion."

She felt his fingers holding her chin, where he turned her head to the side so that he could plant a soft kiss onto her lips, and she tentatively rested a hand onto his cheek.

When he leaned back, she could feel the breath of laughter he released, tickling the side of her face. "You look beautiful, my lady."

She snapped her eyes open.

* * *

_Three_

"Stay with me."

The blood began to pool under him, soaking into her pink jeans from where she knelt beside him, trying desperately to close the gaping wound at his side.

They made a mistake. She thought they were able to defeat the akuma child easily, but it was obvious that they were wrong to underestimate an enemy, no matter the size or the appearance they donned.

And Chat Noir suffered the consequences.

He was hit by the flying screw driver the akuma managed to fling towards his way, where despite the indestructible nature of his suit that nothing could penetrate through the special cloth, it managed to run through his side and flew out of his flesh behind him, causing him to drop to the ground with a bloodcurdling scream tearing out of his throat.

She cried out after him as she saw him fall, trying to reach for him despite the amount of distance between them. When she realised that he was too far away, she turned towards the akuma, where she felt rage pounding in her veins as she defeated the akuma child, quickly cleansing the infected butterfly before she ran towards him.

After she called the ambulance of their location, she felt her transformation fall off, and Tikki hovered tiredly by Marinette's side with her eyes wide with horror.

"They're coming," she quivered, her hands shaking as she took out her blazer and pressed it gently onto his wound, where he let out a hiss of pain. "Hang on, Chat, they're coming."

He choked out a laugh. "The stars are bright tonight."

She looked up, and saw that he was right. "They are."

He hummed, eyes drooping with exhaustion. "Draco."

She snapped down to look at him, running a thumb across his cheek to wake him up while at the same time leaving a trail of blood on his paling skin. "Phoenix."

There was a twitch of a smile on his lips. "Sirius."

"Hercules." She murmured, resting her forehead onto his.

His transformation dropped off as well, and Plagg accompanied Tikki as they watched their partners comfort each other.

Marinette heard the faint sound of ambulance at the background, and she felt the way the two kwamis quickly hid inside her purse as the sirens became louder.

Adrien cupped her cheek with a bloody hand.

"Orion."


	19. Pas de deux (3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatever it was Nathanaël wanted to say was lost when Chat felt himself walking out of the shadows, making his presence known when he step foot onto the polished floor of the studio, where both occupants of the room looked startled to see him standing there. He flashed them both a smile. "Am I interrupting something?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19. Eavesdropping
> 
> Part 3 of my 1940s Ballerina au!

There were times when he and Marinette would practice dancing together in the middle of the night, the studio as empty as an abandoned mansion as they had the space to themselves. The music that bounced off the plastered walls were accompanied with her soft breathing that ghosted against his ear.

He lost himself to these secret sessions, unknown to their respective mentors and other fellow dancers that Chat Noir and Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been playing chess through their feet, twirling and bounding through the polish floor as if they were air themselves.

It was a surprise, however, to find that their usual midnight rendezvous on their Friday's was interrupted by someone else he became to know all too well now.

Chat could see Nathanaël sitting on the bench of the piano as he talked to Marinette, both of them had a soft smile on their faces that made something ugly clawing inside Chat's chest. He made no effort to stop the scowl that weighed on his lips as he merely leaned against the wall beside the door, out of their sight while their quiet words drifted to where he stood.

"I wanted to congratulate you again on your performance a couple of weeks ago."

Chat crossed his arms, letting his eyes flutter closed as he heard the tinkle of laughter she made.

"Thank you, but you've already treated me flowers and dinner. I thought that was already enough?" She teased, and Chat could hear the way her tutu ruffled as she no doubt sat beside the red haired.

Nathanaël chuckled. "Well, I was hoping that wouldn't be the last of it."

"Are you asking me out on a date, Nath?"

Chat's eyes flew open, his hand clutched into a fist inside his arm as he quietly shifted in his place so that he straightened himself up just the slightest bit.

"I'm hopeful," he agreed, and Chat knew that the other man was smiling shyly. "I've been wanting to show you some of my works, and probably have some of your input on how you see it. You know," there was a pause, as if he just gently nudged her in the arm. "Like we used to when we were younger."

She laughed. "Art buddies in crime, I remember that."

"The painter and the temporary designer, where I would paint pictures of you while you would use me as your mannequin."

"Oh come on, I thought the purple dress was looking quite dashing on you, it even brought out your eyes. I made a special tiara that goes with it too."

He laughed. "I still have that hat you made me. It's a bit worn down, but it's still in good condition. I kept it in a box so that it wouldn't spoil so easily."

Even if Marinette told Chat before they preformed on stage a while back, it didn't actually rest in his brain that both she and Nathanaël were childhood friends until that very moment, where they had known each other since they were younger and Nathanaël knew her more than Chat was.

Chat was going to change that thought later on.

"You do?" She asked in surprise. "But it's been, what, thirteen years? _How_ can you still keep it?"

"Well," Nathanaël began. "It just so happens that it was the last thing you gave me when we were eight before you had to leave the town and stay here in the city for your ballerina lessons, so I thought it would be good to keep it with me as a reminder of our friendship." He hesitated, before he continued talking in a much softer voice. "I really did miss you, Mari."

"The last time we wrote letters to each other was when we were around fifteen I think," he continued quickly before she could reply. "And then we just-"

"Stop," she finished his sentence, and Chat could imagine the thoughtful look on her face as she stared on her lap. "Because I was too busy practising for ballet."

"I don't blame you, of course," he said after a beat of silence. "I understand what you're going through and I had my own painting carrier to uphold. In fact," he chuckled. "I was asked to paint you and Chat Noir in another three days."

Chat felt himself perked up at that.

"Really?" She asked in disbelief. "I- That's wonderful, Nath. I'm glad you took the chance."

"Thank you."

There was another beat of silence that seemed to last longer than it should, and Chat felt himself drop his arms as he waited for any of them to say anything.

"I almost forgot how you look like," Marinette murmured, and for some reason that set warning bells in his head at the sudden drop in her voice. "And seeing you again after years of not doing so makes me a little nostalgic for our hometown, you know?"

"Yeah," Nathanaël replied quietly. "I've been meaning to tell you this earlier, but it seems I never got the chance, so I-"

Whatever it was Nathanaël wanted to say was lost when Chat felt himself walking out of the shadows, making his presence known when he step foot onto the polished floor of the studio, where both occupants of the room looked startled to see him standing there. He flashed them both a smile. "Am I interrupting something?"

Nathanaël cleared his throat, standing up from the bench. "No, I was just leaving actually." He looked down to where Marinette was staring at her old friend in helpless defeat, but the curiosity was still evident in her eyes even to Chat. Nathanaël gave her a bashed smile. "I'll see you later, Marinette?"

"Yeah," she breathed, the corner of her lips tilting up into a half smile. "In three days to be exact."

He chuckled, before looking up to Chat to give the blonde a nod. "Chat Noir."

"Nathanaël." Chat replied evenly.

And then, the painter walked out of the studio, leaving the two dancers alone in the room.

Chat walked towards the piano slowly, sitting beside her on the bench. "You seem a bit tensed, princess," he murmured, letting his eyes wonder over the way she was staring at her wringed fingers. "Something on your mind?"

She inhaled sharply, before standing up to make her way towards the radio. "Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." He pointed out.

She shot him a wane look over her shoulder. "What did I say about shoving your nose into people's business, chaton?"

He stood up to stand beside her. "To leave it alone."

"Exactly." She scoffed. "You should have thought of that _before_ you decided to hide in the hallway to listen what we had to say like the curious cat you are."

He hadn't had a chance to defend himself when she switched on the radio.


	20. 3am Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified."
> 
> He laughed breathlessly, tightening his hold onto her from where they were huddled together against the cold and vast building of Notre Dame, where he could feel the way her clothes were wet with the rain as it drizzled outside. "You should be," he mumbled into the semi darkness, the only light they had were the street lights from below, granulated by the drops of water. "Something bad would happen to you if you do."

"I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified."

He laughed breathlessly, tightening his hold onto her from where they were huddled together against the cold and vast building of Notre Dame, where he could feel the way her clothes were wet with the rain as it drizzled outside. "You should be," he mumbled into the semi darkness, the only light they had were the street lights from below, granulated by the drops of water. "Something bad would happen to you if you do."

Maybe it was a bad idea after all to have a little walk in the middle of night, where he had shoved away the faint warning that started to brew inside his chest when he suggested it, where he find out that she was battling insomnia like he was.

But he should have listened to his gut when suddenly a shower of cold rain descended on them when they were at La Seine.

And they ran for cover after that, emotions more tangled than before as he vaulted themselves up to the highest floors of Notre Dame, the huge iron bells greeting them almost coldly the moment they step foot into the room.

She rested her forehead onto his shoulder, her arms nestled between their bodies as she let out a breath that tickled against his damp skin. "You don't mean that."

He leaned against the wooden railing, tucking her against his chest by wrapping his arms around her waist while his legs were slumped unceremoniously around her. "It happens," he remarked. "It usually does."

She lifted her head to meet his eyes, where he could see her very clearly through his mask despite the lack of light as she studied him. "I won't leave you."

He quirked up a half smile. "That's what they always say."

She frowned at him, straightening up so that she could look at him properly. "I won't."

He brushed her damp bangs away from her eyes, before letting the back of his fingers brush against her cheek. "It's not your fault," he murmured as he dropped his hand onto his lap. "It's just me, I have the tendency to chase people away whenever they start feeling strongly about me."

"You don't scare me," she told him quietly, tentatively resting her hand onto his chest.

He shook his head almost sadly. "It's not about scaring you, princess. It's more about me living up the superstitions of a black cat." He shrugged lightly, enveloping her smaller hand with his bigger one as he threaded their fingers together. "Bad luck follows me whether or not I wear the suit. It's almost like I was cursed with bad luck the moment I was born because I did something bad in my past life as Chat Noir," he smiled dryly. "So, the people I love will always leave me."

She tightened her hold onto his fingers, giving him a determined look. "I won't leave you," she said firmly. "I'm not one of them."

He stared at her, letting his eyes wonder over her cerulean orbs and her flushed cheeks suffering from the chill of the wind. "Promise me."

She seemed a bit startled at his sudden words, as if she was starting to feel tired in the dull sound of the rain and the cold weather of the early morning. "What?"

"Promise me," he repeated, the desperation seeping into his voice he didn't manage to hide fully, giving her hand a squeeze. "That you won't leave me when I need you."

She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. "I won't." She whispered.

" _Promise me_." He repeated those words in a hushed voice, bringing down their hands so that he could plant a kiss onto the corner of her mouth as she cupped his cheek with her free hand.

Turning her head slightly, she brushed her lips against his once, sealing her vow effectively.

"I promise."


	21. Chat Noir Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey, princess?"
> 
> Marinette hummed out a response. "Yeah?"
> 
> "Is it okay if I ask a favour from you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a little bit of ladynoir at the end of this. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"Hey, princess?"

Marinette hummed out a response. "Yeah?"

"Is it okay if I ask a favour from you?"

Curious, she looked up from her tab, the pen hovering over the answers of a question she was about to choose when she met his eyes. "What kind of favour?" She asked cautiously, afraid that his favours would go to certain extremes that she probably wouldn't be able to handle.

"Well," Chat began as he leaned against the table beside her, plucking a Chat Noir doll from the basket full of other dolls she kept with where Manon would play with them. "There's this hospital Ladybug and I will be going next month, and we were hoping to give something for the kids as a little token, to raise their spirits up, you know? And I was hoping you could help us?"

Marinette knew of that visit of course, but she had been so busy for the past few days with homework, crime fighting, and bakery delivery that the conversation she had with Chat slipped from her mind. Now that he reminded her, she felt a little guilty that she didn't think of it sooner.

"Help you with what?" She asked, leaning back on her chair.

He fiddled with the doll's cat ears. "Well, I haven't asked Ladybug yet, but I was hoping that you could make little key chains of these Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls?" He showed her the doll, giving her a smile. "If it isn't too much to ask of course."

She blinked at him, surprised at his idea since she hadn't thought of that at all. When they were brainstorming for ideas, she had a vague idea of bringing a cake and some cupcakes, where both adults and children would be able to enjoy them all. And with Chat's addition idea, she supposed that the kids would be more enthusiastic to get something first hand from their heroes, and like he said, it would lift their spirits more so that they could get well a bit faster than before.

Flashing him a grin, she turned her chair around to face him fully, plucking out the Ladybug doll from the basket. "I don't mind, the kids would love it when you two give these things to them."

The beam on his face was bright with happiness. "That's great!"

"On one condition though," she added as she gently tapped the Chat Noir doll's head with the Ladybug doll's hand. "You're going to help me when you can, because there would be a lot of kids there, wouldn't it?"

He stood up straight, giving her a mock salute. "Of course. Anything for you, princess."

She shook her head with a small smile on her face. "Good, I'll probably ask help from my friends, for some extra hands. If, you know," she looked him a bit worriedly. "If you don't mind the extra company."

There was a flash of panic that seemed to appear in his eyes before he squashed it fully, giving her a smile. "Not at all."

* * *

Alya and Nino were happy to help on the following week, but Marinette couldn't stop the disappointment that weighed down inside her chest when Adrien said he couldn't go, where he had some problems he had to take care of that couldn't be ignored.

She only wished him luck.

That seemed to amuse him when the model gave out the chuckle. "Thanks."

She had to remind herself not to stutter too much when he gave her a smile.

Right after school, the three friends went to the shop first to buy some more fabrics for the little dolls, where they used the money Chat had given her the night before.

Nino let out a low whistle at the hundreds Marinette had in her purse. "Is the guy rich or what?"

She shrugged, using only a quarter of the money the hero gave her. "I guess so."

Even she was incredulous when Chat insisted that she take the money, saying that it was from him and Ladybug.

Marinette felt even guiltier at the statement when she, Ladybug in disguise, most certainly did not give him the money for her to buy the fabrics.

She reminded herself to pay back the money later and made a promise to save him a small box of cupcakes later on.

The moment they were walking down the street, Chat was already waiting for them on her balcony, sitting on the railing with his leg propped up. He perked up when he saw them, giving them a grin and a wave.

Alya nudged her with a smirk on her face. "Why does he look so comfortable up there? It's as if he's used to visiting your place or something."

Ignoring the prodding look her best friend was giving her, Marinette only trudged on a bit faster. "Come on," she told them instead, rolling her eyes at the snicker Alya and Nino shared. "We'll have to get started as soon as we can."

The moment they were in her room, Marinette climbed up the stairs to unlock her trapdoor, where Chat had shot in without so much touching her bed, and landed smoothly on the floor.

"Oh yeah," Nino started as he eyed the hero. "He's _definitely_ used to this already."

Chat only smirked. "And hello to you too."

Alya was already flipping out her phone, taking a video of Chat as he took the bags of fabrics from both her and Marinette. "I still can't believe you have one of Paris's heroes in your _room_ ," Alya gushed, and even though she had always admired Ladybug more, Marinette knew that nothing would stop the journalist from taking a video of Chat. "I mean, how cool is that?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "You're feeding his ego."

Chat laughed. "You wound me, princess."

" _Princess?_ " Nino questioned with a raised of an eyebrow. Then, he turned towards Alya and jabbed his thumb towards them. "Are you getting this? He even has a _nickname_ for her. I mean," he gestured towards then. "How obvious can they _get?_ "

Marinette tried not to blush, and only began taking out her scissors, needles, and thread for them to use. "Alright, guys. Let's start."

* * *

By the time they were done -days of pricked fingers and muffled swears while having snacks in between- Marinette had another two days to spare before she would be visiting the hospital with Chat, and since for the first time in her schooling days in Collège de François, she didn't have homework to drag her back from making the cake and cupcakes for the remaining two days.

Chat even visited the night before the following day, when she was putting cream on the baked goods.

She smiled at his startled expression when she presented him a box, a Ladybug and a Chat Noir themed cupcake each decorated beautifully.

"For helping me." She shrugged.

He ended up breaking the cupcakes into halves to share with her.

* * *

The next day, when Ladybug and Chat Noir were giving out keychains to the children, she bent down to a young girl's height -five years old Ladybug thought, suffering from leukemia, with beautiful dark curly hair and tan skin while having the brightest golden eyes she had ever seen- and smiled at her when she showed her the two key chains.

"What's your name?" Ladybug asked gently.

The girl grinned widely as she took the key chains from her. "Elaine. And thank you for the gifts."

Ladybug chuckled. "You're welcome." She paused. "I have a little secret for you, do you want to know?"

Elaine nodded eagerly, eyes wide with curiosity.

"But, you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"Not even Chat Noir?" Elaine whispered.

" _Especially_ Chat Noir," Ladybug answered just as quietly. She held up her pinky. "Pinky promise?"

Elaine laced their pinkies together. "I pinky promise."

Ladybug glanced above Elaine's head, making sure Chat Noir stayed busy talking to the other children before she ducked down again, where Elaine leaned forward to hear what she had to say.

"The Chat Noir doll is my favourite," Ladybug tapped the small version of her partner with a finger. She winked when Elaine stared at her with wide eyes.

"Don't tell anyone, alright?"


	22. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're hiding something from me."
> 
> Alya saw the confusion that crossed Marinette's face as she looked up from her work. "What?"
> 
> Alya scoffed, propping her cheek onto her fist. "Don't 'what' me, girl. I know you're hiding something big from me and I need to know what it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the rating for implied sexual content at the end *cough* 
> 
> Also, post-reveal!

"You're hiding something from me."

Alya saw the confusion that crossed Marinette's face as she looked up from her work. "What?"

Alya scoffed, propping her cheek onto her fist. "Don't 'what' me, girl. I know you're hiding something big from me and I need to know what it is."

Alya knew of course, she knew of her best friend's secret, and she was reeling the moment she found out.

Marinette began shifting her eyes away, pointedly avoiding Alya's expectant stare as she continued solving on the equation Mme. Mendeleieve gave them to work on. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh please," Alya poked Marinette's arm, where the girl let out a soft protest as she rubbed the spot slowly, giving Alya a glower. "You're a bad liar, I can totally see that you don't want to talk about it to me."

She was a bit hurt that Marinette would keep something as big as that from her own best friend, but right now, she was more focused on making Marinette tell her herself, even though Alya had the proof she needed in her phone, snuggled in her jeans pocket in case she needed to whip it out and show her just how serious she was being.

"I'm not lying," Marinette insisted, and Alya rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you the truth. And I don't even _know_ what kind of secret you're talking about."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "You wanna know what I'm talking about?"

"Some enlightment would be nice," Marinette lamented, giving Alya a sardonic smile that the red haired only slapped her arm with a scoff.

"Don't look at me like that," Alya took out her phone from her pocket. "You're the one who thinks it's a good idea to hide things from your best friend a.k.a. the journalist."

"I didn't know stalking your best friend was part of your field." Marinette giggled nervously despite having panic flashing past her eyes when Alya opened her gallery.

Alya sniffed distastefully as she began browsing through her phone. "It's called, _doing the job_." She let out a small sound of triumph, and then she glanced up to see if Mme. Mendeleieve wasn't paying any attention to them. When the teacher was still busy writing notes on the black board, Alya shoved the phone in Marinette's face. "Here."

Marinette managed to catch the phone before it fell. When her eyes landed on what was on the screen, they widen with surprise.

Alya pointed towards the picture, almost stabbing Marinette's finger in the process. "You see this? And you said there was _nothing_." She folded her arms across her chest, watching the way her best friend was gaping at the picture. "If you think making out with Chat Noir, one of Paris's respected heroes, as _nothing_ , then I'm afraid of what your real secret would be."

To her mild disbelief, there was actually some relief on Marinette's face when she saw the picture, as if she was expecting more than just lip locking with the hero. "Uh, yeah," Marinette stuttered as her cheeks bloomed a pretty blush, as if the reality of the situation began to sink in fully. "He was, uh, dropping by."

" _Dropping by_ doesn't exactly cut it," Alya pointed out. "You guys were practically _latching_ onto each other, like those cheesy movies where the hero had to go while the damsel in distress had to see him leave."

The blush turned darker. "It's nothing like that, we were just-"

"And when were you going to tell me you were going out with him? Like, _hello?_ " Alya pointed towards herself. "Best friend here? Who knows all your secrets? And who has been keeping them for god knows how long?"

Marinette winced. "I'm sorry, Alya. It was really unexpected," she sighed, giving the phone back to Alya. "It just, _happened_ , you know?"

Alya blinked at her. "Girl, when we finish this class, you're going to tell me every single detail about you and cat boy because honestly, _what the heck?_ "

Marinette chuckled. "Fine."

* * *

Alya still couldn't believe that Marinette and Chat Noir were actually a thing now.

She made a promise to not post anything on the Ladyblog, since Chat pretty much think it would be better if the public didn't know his relationship with her bestie, for Marinette's own safety he told Alya one day after he defeated the akuma with Ladybug.

Speaking of Ladybug, did she even _know?_

Alya shook that thought out of her mind when she arrived at the Dupain-Cheng's bakery, pushing the door open as the bell tinkled to announce her arrival to Marinette's mother, where Sabine was packing some cheese tarts for the customer she was currently serving.

"Hello, Mrs. Dupain," Alya grinned as she walked past, hefting her backpack up before it slipped from her shoulder. "Is Marinette here?"

"She's upstairs, dear," Sabine told her as she settled the small box in a paper bag. "Go on up, she'll be expecting you for the school project you two would be doing."

Alya nodded as she climbed up the stairs. "Thanks Mrs. Dupain!"

She hummed a tune that Nino sent her a while ago, where the beat had been ringing in her ears ever since she listened to it that morning. As she walked up to another set of stairs that led to Marinette's room, she made a mental note to give him the review he asked from her so that he would know what she really thought of it.

She pushed the trap door open, a grin stretched across her face. "Hey, Mari, I'm-"

But the rest of her words died from her lips when she saw Chat Noir there.

And he was straddling her best friend on her chaise.

Alya's hands flew in front of her face. "Ugh! Cat ass in my face!"

Both Chat and Marinette spluttered at her arrival, where he quickly rolled over to the side and fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Alya clicked her tongue as she stood in the room, seeing their dishevelled hair and obvious red marks that peppered against their necks as they straightened themselves up from their former position. "You two ain't slick."

"You didn't knock!" Marinette exclaimed as she tightened the ties of her pigtails, her whole face stark red.

Alya snorted. "You usually didn't mind when I don't," she shot back. And then, she whirled towards Chat, where he jumped at the ferocity in her gaze that she wanted to laugh at the terrified look in his eyes. "Treat her wrong and I'll hang your skin for sale, got it?"

"Yes ma'am." He nodded.

"Good, now shoo," she waved him away. "Mari and I have work to do, I don't want you to distract her with your presence."

His body posture relaxed, and he gave them a smirk. "Because she's easily distracted by _me_."

"Exactly, and I don't want you two jumping on each other while _I'm_ here." Alya let out a shiver. "Gross."

Marinette crossed her arms. "I'm right here, you know."

"I know, sweetie, but this is for your own good," Alya gestured towards the window with a hand as she began unpacking her stuff on the desk. "Away with you, cat."

"Alright alright," Chat chuckled. She could hear him smacking Marinette's cheek loudly before he bounded away. "I'll see you ladies later!"

"Not like just now I hope," Alya muttered as he let himself out through the trap door.

Marinette stretched her arms above her head. "Alright. Let's get started."

It was hours later, when they were taking a break on the balcony when Alya had a sudden thought in mind while she was munching on the chocolate bar in hand.

"Does Ladybug know this?" She questioned over her mouthful of chocolate. "Is she okay with you two together?"

Marinette nodded slowly, taking a sip of her chocolate milk as she kept her face carefully passive. "Yeah, she's fine with it."

Alya hummed, licking her teeth to get rid of the excess chocolate that managed to stick in between.

"Is he good with his fingers though?"

Marinette choked on her drink.


	23. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If I tell you something one day, something," she paused, looking a correct word that would suit her thoughts. "Mind blowing, maybe, would you be mad at me?"
> 
> He studied her, letting his eyes rake over her bundled form as her words replayed in his mind. "What makes you think I'd be mad?"
> 
> She shrugged, finally meeting his gaze with a small smile. "Because that something might be too big for you to handle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reveal fic! It's based on this one headcanon, but I'm not gonna tell you what it is because it'll only ruin the surprise. I'll give you one hint though, it involves transformation ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

"Tell me."

He glanced down from where he was perched on her railing, bundled up in the green scarf she gave him to wear while she was wrapped in her blanket. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold day of winter, while her blue eyes seemed to glow bright from it as she stared out to the city. "Tell you what?" He asked curiously.

"If I tell you something one day, something," she paused, looking a correct word that would suit her thoughts. " _Mind blowing_ , maybe, would you be mad at me?"

He studied her, letting his eyes rake over her bundled form as her words replayed in his mind. "What makes you think I'd be mad?"

She shrugged, finally meeting his gaze with a small smile. "Because that something might be too big for you to handle."

He let out a breath of laughter. "Do you have that much doubt in me, princess?"

But his playful words had a wrong effect on her when she looked down, frowning slightly to the streets that he was beginning to worry. "Hey," he called out softly, dropping onto the balcony floor beside her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just-"

"It's okay, Chat," she chuckled, twisting herself around so that she could face his way, her hip leaning against the railing. "I was curious, that's all."

He let out a breath of relief, a chuckle of his own tumbling past his lips as he mimicked her position. "I'm glad. But _I_ am curious what brought this up though," he gestured towards her as an indication for her question. "If you don't mind me asking of course."

She only shrugged again, tightening her blanket around herself when the cold wind brushed past their way. "I only wanted to know what you think."

For some reason, he had a feeling that there was more to what she was saying than what she was giving. He wanted to pry of course, since his natural instinct was to just find out what was she hiding from him, but he respected her boundaries. He would wait for her to tell him at the right moment.

"Well, one thing for sure," he began, fiddling with the end of the scarf. "I'd listen to what you'll explain to me before I decide what to feel, since there would be a chance I'd be in shock for a few minutes if the news would be as big as you say." He smiled when she giggled. "But, I won't truly be mad at you, Marinette."

She peered at him. "Are you sure?"

He let go of his scarf, offering her his palm. "Absolutely," he confirmed with a nod of his head. "I'll be rational, I won't burst out into anger or something else as extra as that."

Eyeing the hand in front of her, she snapped her eyes to look meet his gaze almost daringly. "Promise me then."

He gave her a small smile. "I promise."

Satisfied with his answer, she slipped her hand into his, where he brought it up to plant a kiss onto the back of her hand. "What's the big secret though?"

She chuckled, gently slipping her hand away from his. "I'll tell you later."

He stared at her, before giving her another nod, this time slower. "And I'll be waiting."

* * *

"You know, you don't have to do this."

She shrugged, setting aside the decorated cupcake as she took another one from a small of freshly baked batch on the tray. "True, but I wanted to do it in the first place. After all," she flashed him a grin. "It _is_ your birthday today."

The whole shop was blissfully quiet as the night raged on outside. Winter wasn't exactly merciful this year, it had gotten colder and colder as days passed that they couldn't stay out on her balcony like they usually do, where the wind was even more savage in a sense that it would bite their skin until they could feel it in their bones.

That night, when her parents were asleep along with the rest of the house, both of them tiptoed down the stairs and made themselves comfortable near the stove, the warmth settled on their skin deliciously that he could actually feel himself thaw from the icy wind that had probably clung onto him on his way to her place.

"Though I don't mind you making me cupcakes for my birthday in two in the morning," he began to joke, swiping up the pink cupcake back up. "But this is too much of a trouble for you, and I can't just _let_ you do this, princess. It's not very gentleman-y of me."

She rolled her eyes, squirting some green icing on the other cupcake into a delicate swirl. "Well, even if you're trying to stop me, I've already done two of them, another two more to go for you to bring them back home so that you can enjoy them yourself."

He dabbed a finger onto the tip of the pink swirl, humming in appreciation when he sucked off the icing from his finger. "This is very nice, and I'm keeping them for as long as I can."

"But it won't be as nice then," she informed him once she moved on to another cupcake, this time with orange icing. "If you really want to enjoy a desert to its full capacity, you gotta eat it there and then."

He began peeling of the wrapper of the desert, taking a huge bite that he prevented himself from groaning when he chew. "This is amazing," he mumbled through his mouthful, hearing the way she clicked her tongue at him. "Seriously, you spoil me, princess."

She took the last cupcake to decorate it with red icing, beaming proudly. "I'm glad you like it then," when she looked up, she let out a burst of laughter. "You have icing on your nose and," she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Your cheeks."

He shrugged, taking another big bite that it was only left a small piece in his hand. "I'll wipe it off later."

She shook her head with a smile on her face, putting the last three cupcakes in a box for him to bring later, and he made a mental note to make sure he wouldn't jostle too much or all her hard work would be ruined. He watched her grabbed a clean cloth from the counter behind her, and began walking towards where he was perched on the other side of the island. "You eat like a three year old."

He smirked down at her, letting her pull him down a bit so that she could wipe the icing off herself, a disapproving frown on her face. "You have to enjoy these type of things as childishly as possible, you know, and that's when you're really feeling the purity in these things."

"I don't see how wearing icing as a face mask considered as pure," she lamented as she wiped his nose, before starting on his cheeks. "You'll get zits if you keep doing this."

He gasped dramatically in horror. "Not the _face_."

"What, you're some sort of model or something?" She joked as continued her journey to the corners of his mouth.

He smirked. _She had no idea_. "Maybe."

He took that moment then to study her, where he had been noticing that the bags under her eyes were getting darker every time he visited her. Now that she was at close proximity with him at the moment, he saw some sort of weariness was weighing her down despite the grins and quips she always shot at him. Even if she was being careful at most times, she had to catch her breath whenever she gotten to the top of the stairs at their school. She didn't have any problem before this.

It didn't help that Ladybug was having the same problem everytime they finished fighting an akuma. Once, she had to actually tell him to go pursue the akuma first while she had to lean against the wall of a building, gulping down large amount of air. She wouldn't tell him when he voiced out his worry, and only told him to go without her.

He felt the cloth wiping his mouth, pulling him out of his thoughts as he blinked at her in surprise, while she only gazed back at him.

He never knew how blue her eyes could be until then.

"Princess," he told her softly, enveloping his hand over hers, bringing down the cloth with them so that they rested on his lap. "Thanks."

He let his eyes wonder over her face, where he felt himself leaning forward that his nose was already brushing against hers, her warm breath ghosting over his lips. But she turned away the last minute, taking a step back that he was already missing the warmth of her body. "Don't mention it." She replied quietly, giving him a wavering smile.

He tried to quench the disappointment and hurt that managed to bloom inside his chest, and instead replied her smile with a broken one of his own.

* * *

He was glad he caught her in time.

" _Jesus_ , princess," he whispered hoarsely, wrapping an arm around her waist as she leaned heavily against his chest, heaves of breath puffed out of her mouth into small clouds of air. "You almost _fell_ , you could have hurt yourself if I wasn't here a second sooner."

She let out a dry chuckle, clutching onto his arms while he used the bricked wall of her balcony as support. The lights from her room shone out and illuminated on them, causing her to glow like there was some sort of halo on top of her. "It's not usually this bad, but I guess I'm getting worse by the day."

He felt himself stiffen, peering down to look at the way she was literally trusting him fully to make her stand up. "What do you mean you're getting worse?" He demanded quietly. "What's going on, Marinette?"

"No nicknames this time, huh?" She remarked. "I'm surprised, kitty."

The drastic similarity at the way she talked like his partner caused him to tense a bit more, and he only tightened his arms around her as he pushed the thought away for a while. "You literally _fainted_ , Marinette," he retorted. "What happened?"

She sighed, and he could feel her breath through his suit. "Let's talk inside, I feel like my limbs are gonna fall off soon if I don't get myself wrapped up."

He gently led her in through her trapdoor door, where he locked it securely above him while she made her way to her chaise, where her usual funnel blanket was nested on it, as if she had been wrapped in it before he had arrived. As he came down the small stairs, she made herself comfortable in the blanket again, snuggled to the head of the chaise. He walked slowly towards her, settling himself on her left as he let his eyes wonder over her in worry.

Her skin looked alarmingly paler than usual, the bags under her eyes were a darker shade than the last time he saw her in her own house almost a month ago, when they were both in the kitchen making cupcakes at two in the morning. Her hands shook slightly when she took a mug from the floor, taking a sip of hot tea that she sighed with relief.

He was afraid his suspicions about Ladybug and Marinette's health would be correct this time. That they were, in fact, one person.

She met his eyes then over the rim, before lowering down the mug so that she was cradling it between her hands, no doubt wanting its warmth to seep into her skin. "Remember when you promised me three months ago that you won't be mad at me when I'm about to tell you something mind blowing?"

He inhaled sharply. "Please tell me this isn't related to you being sick."

She seemed a bit surprised at his words, before she smiled faintly. "Unfortunately."

He pursed his lips, holding onto his knees tightly from where he had his head bowed. "How long have you gotten this?"

"A year, give or take." She took another sip of drink.

He licked his dried lips. "What sickness is this?"

There was a pause, a pause that was killing him on the inside because he didn't want this to happen, he didn't want Plagg's murmured warnings to be replayed in his mind again and again about the consequences of getting too close to Ladybug and Marinette. And he didn't want her to confirm his own fears.

"I think you know."

He snapped his head up at her quiet accusation. He opened his mouth, before closing it again with a sigh, his shoulders suddenly felt heavy with exhaustion. "It's true then? You're really her?"

She offered him her hand, like he did when he made his vow to not be angry at her, and he wrapped his fingers around hers. "Yeah," she murmured, giving him a squeeze. "I'm Ladybug." She gave him a pained smile. "And I don't think I won't be for long."

He felt the dread sinking to his stomach.

"What?" He breathed out, his voice barely a whisper.

"Every transformation I make will shorten my life span. Every time I use my Lucky Charm, it'll only take my energy with it," she continued, avoiding his gaze as she stared down into her mug. "Tikki told me that Ladybugs would only last for three years, while Chat Noirs would always last longer. But I was lucky I guess," she smiled wanly at her own attempt at a joke. "I got myself a bonus year."

He knew what she meant then, at what she was trying to tell him at that moment as he watched Tikki made herself known by flying towards Marinette, snuggling to her charge's face.

She was dying.

Ladybug, Marinette, she was _dying_.

And he couldn't do anything about it.

"I won't have much time," she told him, stroking a finger on Tikki's head. "Probably a month more?" She shook her head in what he could guess was disbelief. "My parents tried bringing me to the doctor, but of course, they didn't know why I'm always so cold, or why I'm so sick. It gets worse when winter came though."

He had a feeling she knew who he was; nonetheless, he was going to tell her even if she didn't.

"Is that why you hadn't been in school for a couple of weeks?"

He was still holding onto her hand as she gave him another squeeze. "Yeah."

He swallowed the ball that managed to lodge in his throat, forcing himself to give her a half smile. "You know, Alya and Nino miss you. _I_ miss you," he paused. "Your seat behind me is getting a bit dusty."

She let out breath of laughter, setting her mug down on the floor again. "I wouldn't be surprised."

He took his chance when he slid nearer to her. To his relief, she accepted him in her arms while he rested his forehead onto her shoulder, their legs tangled together across her chaise. "You're going to be fine," he whispered, holding onto her waist as he tried to be reassuring for them both, tried to hope that she wouldn't go through the same fate as any other Ladybug had before her. "I know you will."

But they knew it wasn't enough.

All his words were nothing but empty lies that won't change on what fate had chosen.

She ran her fingers through his hair, turning to the side so that she could kiss his temple. "I'm so sorry, Adrien."

Wordlessly, he raised his head and pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

Like all ladybugs, she loved flowers.

She did told him a long time ago that pink lilies were her favourite.

"Because they smell nice." She giggled when the pollen was stuck on his mask, causing him to sneeze.

He smiled fondly at the memory as he set aside the bouquet of those onto the ground, dragging his hand up the cold stone as he brushed her name with his thumb.

"I love you."

His mask did nothing to hold back the tears that fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'll tell you now. It's based on this "imagine the miraculous users having their days numbered according to the animal/insect their miraculous represents. for example, marinette is expected to die 2-3 years after gaining her miraculous (i'M SORRY [or am i?])"


	24. Masks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She gave him a pointed look. "You know what I mean."
> 
> "Do I?" He was playing dumb, he knew that. But unfortunately, it was his only defence mechanism at this point. "I'm not sure."
> 
> She knew this too. "Fine, I'll enlighten you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another reveal fic!

There were three type of masks that Adrien had to wear.

One was when he had to save Paris, using the Miraculous to do good despite what his power implies, the destruction he could create by merely touching anything the moment the black crackle of magic surrounded his hands.

His identity, he knew, was crucial to himself. The fame he held on his shoulders without being Chat Noir was already too heavy for him to handle, and he didn't want his hero life to be mingled with his personal life. The catastrophe that would ensue when people knew that Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel Agreste, the internationally known designer, was one of the respected heroes in Paris would be something he didn't want to deal with.

Second was the mask he wore in front of his friends. Where they weren't able to see the boy who lost his mother, the boy who was deprived of his father's love that he was so, so sadden by those two facts. Though Gabriel tried to make it up to him through gifts and money, Adrien knew that wasn't enough. It wasn't won't be the same as having his cheeks kissed with love, having his tears wiped with a gentle caress, having his fears chased away with a hum of a soothing voice.

It would never, _ever_ , be the same.

The other mask was when he was in front of a camera, posing for the world as the golden child of his father's name with a constant reserved expression he usually wore even if his poses and smiles changed from time to time. Whether he was inside a studio or even anywhere else, that mask will always remained on throughout the whole session that the photographers adored him for it. He was relieved, to say the least, that people were easily fooled at the secrecy he was hiding.

But _she_ wasn't as gullible as they were.

Marinette could read him like an open book.

Whether he was Chat Noir or Adrien, she was able to spot whatever it was he was hiding from her, try as he might. She was able to pick through his mess of emotions even before he revealed his identity to her.

"You're sad."

He was startled when she first pointed it out one day, where they just finished playing a game at her desktop as the big fonts flashed back to them that said she won.

She was studying him from where she sat beside him, the controller resting on her lap.

He laughed nervously. "Well, I did lost to you for the third time."

She gave him a pointed look. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?" He was playing dumb, he knew that. But unfortunately, it was his only defence mechanism at this point. "I'm not sure."

She knew this too. "Fine, I'll enlighten you." She faced him fully then, turning the chair around as she set aside the controller on the desk, and then she met him square in the eye. "You're sad because something happened in your life that I don't know about, something that I don't have the very right to know and something you try to hide it from everyone around you. But, despite the mask," she gestured towards the black obstacle on his face, and he resisted the urge to touch it. "Figuratively and literally, you can't fool me."

He didn't say anything at once, and instead set aside his own controller beside hers. "I didn't know you were good at reading people, princess."

She seemed to straightened herself up then. "So, I'm right then?"

He shrugged. "Spot on."

Somehow, it was either the phrase that amused her, or she really was glad she managed to figure out what his hidden dilemma was that let the corner of her lips twitched into a small smile.

Still, he wasn't exactly fond of her finding out a glimpse of it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Was he ready to let her know who he really was? To strip of his mask, _all_ of them, so that she could really see what lay under them?

"You'll know one day," he said instead, giving her a smile. "But not now though."

She blinked, before returning his smile. "Okay."

And they left it just like that.

* * *

 In the end, he did take out one of the masks.

His facade had more cracks now, larger gaps that threatened to expose him to the world at what he was hiding, that he kept close to his heart that no one could even see it.

But she did.

Sweet, sweet Marinette clawed her way through those barriers he let up that he was overwhelmed by her character, her kindness making his heart grow and glow as it tried to reach out for her, wanting more of her touch.

When the magic was gone, his face bare from the black mask, she rested a hand on his face, wiping a thumb across his cheek.

"It's only me," she whispered, her bright blue eyes staring into his. "You don't have to hide behind this one too."

The cracks burst without his consent. Everything crumbled when he buried his face into her shoulder, clutching onto her as he wept his heart out.


	25. Minion Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat tightens his hold onto his baton, teeth smashed together. "Stop lying to me."
> 
> The cane, the damnable cane taps twice on the floor before Hawkmoth moves to her side. "Why would I? I'm not even touching her."
> 
> "Don't lie to me," Chat snarls, because he's furious and worried, she shouldn't suffer this. She doesn't deserve this. "Whatever magic you have on her, stop it. Now."

"Let go of her."

Hawkmoth's smile is sinister as he rests his hand onto her shoulder. "I'm not restraining her in any way."

The three of them are standing at an empty factory, where Chat is at one side of the room while they're at the other.

Chat tightens his hold onto his baton, teeth smashed together. "Stop _lying_ to me."

The cane, the _damnable_ cane taps twice on the floor before Hawkmoth moves to her side. "Why would I? I'm not even touching her."

"Don't lie to me," Chat snarls, because he's furious and worried, she shouldn't suffer this. She doesn't deserve this. "Whatever magic you have on her, stop it. _Now_."

Hawkmoth chuckles. "Ask her yourself."

"Princess- _Marinette_ ," Chat tries to make sure his voices doesn't waver, but it's _hard_ , so, so hard. "Listen to me, get out of here, alright? I'll come back for you."

But she doesn't say anything, there's no emotion on her face as she stares blankly back at him, and his heart sinks.

"What have you done to her?" He asks in horror, holding onto his baton that he thinks it might break as he searches for her under that mask she wears, so different than his Marinette. " _What have you done to her?"_

"She came willingly, if you have to know," Hawkmoth says casually, almost humming the words out. "I have nothing to do with this."

Chat lets out a bark of laughter. Bitter, scathing. "Everything has to do with you if she's here."

"Is it?" Hawkmoth asks caustically, the smile on his face could easily be mistaken as a sneer. "Why don't you find out then? Prove to me that she didn't come to me one day, striking a deal with me, so that I wouldn't hurt you in any way."

Chat feels his insides seizes with fear. "What?" He asks quietly, because he can't possibly mean what he says. He's _wrong_ , Hawkmoth is just playing with him and he's _wrong_.

"And I'll be keeping her promise of course," Hawkmoth sighs with feign remorse, tilting her chin up to have a look at her properly that Chat growls in warning, taking a step forward. "I wouldn't attack you like I would want to initially, and after all," he meets the vigilante's eyes. "A life spared is another life spent."

"Stop this," Chat hisses, taking another step forward with his baton raised. "Let go of her."

"Oh, if you want to fight, I won't touch you at all. Rather," he takes a step back and let's go of her chin, still staring into Chat's eyes.

"She will."

There's a flash of red light, and standing in Marinette's place is Ladybug.

Chat feels his breath is sucked in sharply.

_No_.

"No." He chokes out when she takes out her yo-yo, the compact gleams under what little light they have.

"Finish him." Hawkmoth waves his hand dismissively as he walks away, making his way out of the empty factory they're in.

The battle scream she lets out as she runs towards him rivals with the wail that shrieks in Chat's heart.


	26. Confessions (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What, no comment?"
> 
> When he looked up from where he had been drilling the wall beside her head with his glare, he was met with her complete contempt and smug expression that he wanted to wipe them off. The tilt of her smirk was downright devilish that he was so sure she was the sweet Marinette he had encountered before.
> 
> Why couldn't she just see that he was only doing this for their own damn good?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 26. Angry Kiss & Day 27. Sin
> 
> s w e a t s WELL this is going to be nsfw and if you're uncomfortable with this, I suggest you steer away from this and wait for the next day since it's, y'know
> 
> *gestures towards the titles*
> 
> Well what do you expect when you give me those two days so near each other
> 
> Also, this is a sequel to Day 16. Confessions! And note that they're older in these three days (around 19 years old?? 20??) so yeah

Her words kept ringing in his ears, over and over again that he had a hard time to focus on what to say next as he only let out a angry hiss, the hammering of his heart was fueling his veins with _things_.

Things that would get him to do something he might regret later.

 _God_ why did she have to be so damn _stubborn?_

"What, no comment?"

When he looked up from where he had been drilling the wall beside her head with his glare, he was met with her complete _contempt_ and _smug_ expression that he wanted to wipe them off. The tilt of her smirk was downright _devilish_ that he was so sure she was the sweet Marinette he had encountered before.

Why couldn't she just _see_ that he was only doing this for their own damn good?

More importantly, for _his_ own good as well.

He wasn't sure how long he could hold in it already.

"What do you want me to say?" He rebutted with equal bite, with equal menace that he was almost surprised at his tone, at how much effect she had on him in just short span of minutes.

She let out a breath of laughter, leaning back against the wall that she exposed her neck towards him. It was that moment he realised than she didn't wear her normal attire, and instead donned a low neck T-shirt that rested just above her chest along with a pair of shorts that hiked high to her thighs. His eyes had a mind of their own when they fluttered down to trace the sharp angle of her jaw and the elegant length of her neck, taking in the freckles that splattered against her skin like stars in the sky.

He clamped his mouth tight, dragging his gaze up to force himself to look at her in the eye, only to have his breath robbed out of him from where she was peering at him through her lashes, her lips actually glistened from where the light of her room illuminated on them that he was oh so tempted-

He realised with a jolt at what she was doing then.

She was _taunting_ him.

Her with her blue, blue eyes and full lips that he was _tempted_.

Tempted to _know_.

"Anything," she replied easily, attempting to shrug in the tight space he put them in but with little success. Instead, her shoulders had ever so slightly brushed against his, but it was _enough_. It was enough to send sparks to his chest that he cursed his sensitive state after his body betrayed him to her twisted words. "Now that I've said my part," she gave him a lazy smirk at this, as if she knew how much this was eating him inside out and exactly knew how to pull his strings. "I was hoping you'd have a say in this, and it's clear that you do."

He licked his dry lips, feeling how parched his tongue had gotten. "What _is_ this, anyway?" He managed to laugh breathlessly. "You said so yourself, I'm in love with Ladybug. What could we have created to address it as 'this'?"

Fear and glee collided within himself when he saw the way her eyes flashed at the mention of his partner, where she had all but narrowed them at him that he was able to see the ugly emotion that churned inside her. "You are so blind, you know that?" She told him quietly as she lifted her head from the wall, and he had to force himself to not move when she looked at him levelly. "Why can't you just _see_ what's already in front of you?"

See _what?_

What was she talking about?

She probably saw the confusion in his eyes, because she just sighed through her nose, the gust of wind tickling against his cheek that he could feel the muscle in his jaw jumped when he gnashed his teeth too tightly. "Do I really have to show you everything?"

He didn't know what to expect at this point, where this little game of chess they were playing had been grating his nerves for a while that he was sure he was going to explode one day.

So, when she tilted her head up to crash her lips with his, molding them perfectly together, he was utterly, and dare he admit it, _pleasantly_ surprised.

 _Jesus_ , he really needed to get a better hold of himself.

She wasn't merciful in her kiss. Oh no, she was in charge when she ran her tongue across his bottom lip, his self control crumbling the moment he groaned with need that he had to drop his hands to her hips to have a more sturdy ground to hold on because he was _weak_.

Weak enough that she didn't know that she already had him around her finger.

Poor little knight was already smitten with the baker's daughter while at the same time, he was in love with his Lady.

_His Lady._

But he didn't have the chance to think about it more when she gave a sharp nip onto his bottom lip that had none of the gentleness he would expect from her, because right now, she was demanding what she wanted from him, and she was getting impatient at how uncooperative he was being at the moment by the way she was clutching onto his shoulders harder than before.

If he wasn't wearing his suit, her nails would have left an imprint onto his skin.

That particular thought made something shoot down to his navel, letting a warm feeling spread around his abdomen and chest at the thought that she would _mark_ him, as if the little crescent moons on his body was a message to the world that he was _hers_.

But he wasn't hers as much as she wasn't his. It was a known fact to himself and maybe, hopefully, to her as well.

Before he knew it, he was already backing her towards the wall again, feeling the length of her body pressed greedily against his as he captured her mouth with his. _This time_ , well, this time he made sure to suck on her bottom lip a little harder than he first intended that he felt his whole body tingling right to his toes at her moan. One could say that his little action could be considered as payback.

Also, he wasn't going to stop anytime soon though.

 _She_ sparked this vicious _thing_ inside him, where once he was ridiculed, stopping was far from happening anytime soon.

He wrenched his lips away from hers that she let out a whine at the sudden absence, and instead he attached his already bruised lips to her neck, where he gave another mighty _suck_.

The mumbled keen she let out made himself groan quietly, his claws inching their way up her shirt that he felt her shiver under his touch, mindlessly tracing invisible patterns right at the dip of her back.

He traced his lips to the shell of her ear, giving her lobe a soft bite. "You're getting a bit loud, princess," he rumbled, brushing his gloved hands against her bra strap, unable to actually feel her with his own skin and he had never hated an intimate object more than this _damn suit_. "It's either we keep quiet, or we use your room."

She laughed airily, and he felt the way she buried her fingers into his hair and pulled him back so that they were nose to nose, where he was able to see her smirk. "Come on then."

And then, she slipped away from his touch that he didn't have time to protest, where her eyes teased him as she slipped through the open trap door.

Well, _fuck_.

He took large amounts of air, where everything felt hot and _tight_ as he straightened himself up.

And then, he quickly followed her.

Once he landed on her bed, she was leaning against the headboard with her eyes closed, and he took a moment to actually study her then as he sat down. He took in her disarrayed hair and flushed cheeks, her full lips that most likely tasted like him down to her _disappointingly_ pure neck.

That won't do, won't it?

As if sensing his unshamefully ravished stare, she opened her eyes.

And gave him the most _debauched_ grin he ever saw on her face that he was almost afraid.

Almost, of course.

It didn't help when she began to crawl towards him, his mouth parched dry when she stopped in front of him. She stood to her knees then, where her breasts were perpendicular to his vision that he had to tilt his head up a bit to actually look at her in the eye.

Slowly, almost sensually, she reached up and pulled the latch of her trapdoor closed, where the sound of it clicking shut echoed through the room.

Just like that, he was snapped out of his trance. Just like that, he was winding his arms around her waist before burying his face onto her sternum.

"Chaton?" She whispered, running her fingers through his hair as he planted soft kisses on her exposed skin that he thought that he was already _drunk_ , drunk with her smell, her touch, her kisses that he was sure he shouldn't even be doing this in the first place.

But he'd be damned if he was stopped.

He pushed her to lay down, where he had better access in going higher as he began kissing her neck again, settling between her legs.

He peppered his lips against her collarbone, hearing the way she breathed against his ear while her hands traced his back, fingers brushed fleetingly that he was almost convinced that he didn't feel it.

He continued his assault on her skin to the junction of her neck and shoulders, where the only warning he gave her was the tip of his tongue teasing onto her skin before he sank his teeth into her flesh.

She cried out, her body bucking under his that he was able to feel the way their chest pressed against one another, her fingers clutching onto his back that he felt the pressure of her nails digging into his suit.

With a lascivious sweep of his tongue, he was able to taste  _her_ as she began to writhe under him. But, unfortunately for him, that proved to be a fatal mistake when she accidentally bumped against his growing budge under the suit that he let out a strangled moan, and he quickly clamped his mouth shut when he saw the way she stopped moving about and stared wide eyed at him.

He didn't like the way she was scrutinising him with that look, her fingers trailing to his sides before making their way to his hips. He swallowed the groan he made when she palmed his abdomen, right above his zippers as she watched his reaction.

Breathing heavily, he lowered his mouth to her ear. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Experimenting." Came her brief reply. And before he could say anything, she swiftly dragged her nails to the back of his thighs, causing an explosions of stars to burst in his eyes when a gasp tore out of his lips, and he would have collapsed on her if he hadn't caught himself in time.

"Hypothesis accepted." She hummed, raising her head to brush her lips against his once, taunting him again. "Chaton, chaton."

He pressed deeper into her kiss, causing her to sink into those mass of pillows again that he could feel her beautiful, beautiful thighs clamped around his hips, and at the same time, exposing herself to him more.

 _Perfect_.

He made sure he kissed her absolutely senseless, open mouthed and gasps of breath escaped as he bonded her hands above her head with only one of his own, while the other was very unsuccessful in trying to feel her bare skin.

And then, he grounded onto her.

He swallowed the wail she made as he kissed her intensely, before grounding her again that he let out a grunt of his own, the suit not making their current situation anymore comfortable than they were.

Jerking away from her mouth, he bit into her neck again, no doubt leaving more bruises for her to walk with tomorrow that he was _glad_.

She'll be wearing _his_ mark like a trophy.

"I-I-I-" she stuttered when he let go her hand so that he could run his hands under her shirt, his mouth still latched onto her neck as he gave a lick. "I-Chat-I-"

But she wasn't able to finish her sentence when he pushed himself onto her again, causing her to whimper that he could feel the fraction of their clothes being rubbed together and he wanted his suit to come off _now_.

" _Chat_."

He detached his lips from her skin with a loud satisfying pop that he had to blink to clear the white light obscuring the corners of his vision when he raised his head up, and what he saw in front of him made his breath hitched.

Marinette was breathing heavily as she too tried to catch her breath, their chest brushed against each other with every inhale she took. Her hair was freed from their ties and fanned on the pillow, her lips red and bruised as the neck of her shirt was pulled down to one side so that it revealed one rosy shoulder, her pale skin now peppered with his bites.

"W-what?" He gulped down air, meeting her blown eyes with his.

"I-you-I-I _know_ who you are."

It took his hazy mind a moment to realise what she meant. When it finally clicked, he looked down at her sharply, where she was avoiding his eyes from where she turned to the side, her bottom lip gnawed at that he was tempted to take it between his own teeth.

 _No no no_ she said she _knew_ him, he had to _focus_.

She took a deep breath before meeting his eyes again. "I know you're Adrien."

He blinked at her, and that wasn't the answer she was expecting because she looked away again. "Say something." She mumbled, her shy nature he knew so well outside the mask was becoming enduring to him now.

What _can_ he say?

He didn't know, he was still trying to get his bearings to actually _think_ properly. But he was pretty sure he had to think of something soon because she was already talking again.

"And," she said softly. "I'm Ladybug."

Oh.

 _Oh_.

Honestly, he was completely speechless at this point, and it was obvious his reaction was making her embarrassed because she threw her hands over her eyes with a groan. " _Say_ something, you dumb cat."

He realised that his hands were still holding onto her waist as he thought of an answer. "Well," he cleared his throat, flexing his fingers on her skin that she peeked out to look at him. He licked his dry lips. "What do you expect me to say?"

"Oh my god," she pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes, her face flaming at this point. "Let me _die_."

He chuckled, running his hands up to feather against her rib cage, but that couldn't even jostle her from her embarrassment. "What do you expect me to do, princess?"

If possible, she turned redder at the nickname. "You're seriously just going to accept it just like that?"

"When we're in the middle of something intimate?" He enquired while he traced the edge of her bra, and she only covered her whole face with both her hands with another muffled groan. "Yeah, I'm just going to accept that so that we could move on."

She started to shift under him. That proved to be a _very bad_ mistake because she was brushing against his crotch where he could feel every miniscule touch their bodies made, and he had to stop her _now_ before he lose himself fully.

He quickly grabbed her hands to pin her on the bed again to make her stop moving, where she blinked back at him in surprise.

" _Don't_ ," he breathed. "Move."

She probably realised what he meant when her eyes glanced down for a while, and he knew that he was in serious trouble when she met gaze again with a wicked smile on her face.

Slowly, she rolled her hips into his.

He gasped, quacking in her hold from where she had him bracketed between her legs, powerful and sturdy legs that he was pretty sure he was going to have a heart attack soon when he felt the heat emitted from her as she teased him oh so sensually.

" _Princess_ ," he choked out when she did it a third time, where he had all but bowed his head as he tried to get a grip of himself _for the love of god_. "I-"

He gave up on warning her off then and instead kissed her firmly, hoping to make her stop doing that or he was going to lose his _damn mind_.

She mewled, and he only hummed in response as she arched herself off the bed that he could feel her soft breasts pushed into his chest, where she tried to tug her hands from his grip.

" _Adrien_."

Saying his name, his _real_ name, was much better than he expected.

And that made the fire inside his veins flare up again when he ran his tongue on the inside of her mouth.

This time, he let her hands go to undress her, where he was quick to get rid of her shirt and shorts before making his way for her bra. With one swift motion he managed to get rid of that too.

He let his eyes wonder over her, imprinting the very image of her laid down beneath him with her arms spread to her sides into his mind. Passing the dip of her collarbone, her perky breasts raised up and down with every heave of breath she took, nipples already hardened from the exposed air before he dragged his eyes to her toned stomach, covered with old and silver scars that he knew he had on his own body as well.

He let a thumb pressed against her pelvis, where she was biting into her teeth to prevent herself from making a peep of noise when he began massaging at that spot, while she was holding onto his shoulders tightly.

Slithering down her body, he softly kissed her hip, before dragging his lips across abdomen that she left out a soft sigh. When she began to shift under his grip, he held onto her thighs, spreading them a bit wider than before when he began kissing on the inner side of her leg, her soft skin skimmed seemingly past his mouth.

He was able to _smell_ her, and let out a low growl when he grazed his teeth against her skin, causing her to squeeze his shoulders as she let out a shaky breath.

" _Chat_."

The way she said his name set something off inside him, something primal that curled inside his chest when he swooped up and gave her another satisfying kiss, teeth clicking as she tangled her fingers in his hair. She dragged pass his lips before letting her mouth hover his ear, where her warm breath ghosted on his skin that he resisted the urge to shudder.

"Your turn."

With a tug, she pulled down the bell of his suit, and the cold air made him gasp out in surprise.

_Jesus Christ._

The suit was supposed to be _fused_ to his _skin_.

But the thought was knocked away when she continued to pull down zipper until it rested on his navel. Then, she attached her lips to the underside of his jaw, wrapping her arms around his neck that her nipples dug into his chest as they tumbled on the bed again.

She managed to flip them around, where he let out a surprised yelp when he found himself laying on the bed while she sat on his waist, all in her half naked glory as she stared him down with him still bracketed between her legs, blue eyes flashing possessively.

_Holy shit._

He swallowed thickly as he raked his eyes over her form.

She dipped down and kissed him like the way she first kissed him when they were on her balcony a while ago, taking charge yet again as she swept her tongue over his lips while her cold hands began slowly dragging themselves up his warm stomach, where he could feel her little digits brush against every muscle that stars began to burst behind his eyelids again.

He could still feel her nipples grazing against his chest as she began nibbling onto his bottom lip before trailing her mouth to the end of his jaw. Then, she bit into the soft flesh under his ear that he jerked under her hold.

He groaned, clutching onto her waist when she feathered kisses onto the spot, as if offering him an apology.

"M-m-marks," he stammered, holding onto her tighter as she prodded his skin with her tongue. "Ph-photoshoot-"

She ran a warm tongue over her bite, and he moaned.

"People!" He exclaimed when she bit again at the same spot. "P-p-people w-would s-see-"

She hummed, lifting her head slightly so that she could look at him in the eye. "Your point?"

While holding onto his gaze, she grounded her hips into his.

He threw his head back as a whine broke out out of his lips, feeling his toes curling in as she took the advantage of sucking onto his collarbone.

And then, he could feel his transformation was up when he felt the tickle of magic unravelling him, exposing him to her.

Adrien breathed heavily through his mouth when she slowly backed up to look at him properly, where he saw the way she studied his bare face and disarrayed clothes, no doubt taking in his appearance as much as he was taking in her curious expression. He flashed her his famous grin, and was satisfied to see a streak of pink blooming on her face.

"Hey there." He chuckled, where he could finally, _finally_ , properly feel her skin when he ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the subtle bumps of her scars.

Poor Plagg.

He made a mental note to give him a whole block of cheese later on.

Marinette traced the line of his jaw with her finger, her eyes darting about as she took in his appearance from where she was still straddling him.

She cupped his face, before lowering down her face again to give him a kiss.

This was a much sweeter kiss than before, where he could taste her fully as she slowly moved her mouth against his, such a sharp contrast to the mere minutes ago where their kisses had been more demanding and hungry.

She was the one broke it again, letting out a blessed sigh through her nose that tickled against his skin. "Hi."

He hummed, pressing his lips on one of the marks he gave her on neck. "Took us long enough, hmm?"

"You're telling me." She breathed when he moved to another mark, nipping onto her shoulder.

"Right." He mumbled, one hand itching up her stomach before enveloping her breast in one palm, flickering her nipple with a thumb that caused her to suck in a stuttering breath. "But, of course."

And then, he was pushing her up into a sitting position with an arm wrapped around her, where she was still spread on his lap as she held onto his shoulders tightly, staring at him in surprise.

Letting go of her for a while, he managed to discard his shirt with a swift tug.

He felt glee shooting down to his abdomen when he saw the way her eyes darkened from where they flickered over his exposed skin. He smirked at her, trailing a trimmed finger up the curve of her back with one sharp motion that gotten her to arch into his body deliciously with a moan. He nuzzled the skin under her ear.

"We're not done yet."

And then, he kissed her firmly on the lips.


	27. Hospital Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's expecting him to come.
> 
> She doesn't tell him that, she doesn't have to.
> 
> He just knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been updating this to their respective dates, I was on holiday and only came to do it now. 
> 
> Aged up, post-reveal, and some adrienette in the beginning.

She's expecting him to come.

She doesn't tell him that, she doesn't have to.

He just _knows_.

Alya and Nino doesn't have to remind him as well, where it's days after he comes back to Paris -to home, and maybe to _her_ \- after six years of working at Italy, where he's already twenty-seven and he has so many things to say to her.

 _Too_ many.

His old friends are only looking out for him, he _knows_ this, since they're only doing it with good intentions and he doesn't have the right to feel the spike of irritation that shoots down in his chest everytime they mention _her_ name, mention that she's been asking to see him because she _misses_ him. She misses their friendship and everything they've been through and he knows he's disrupting the bond they have for all these years that she doesn't deserve this idiotic attitude he's going through.

He's being stupid, he should be happy for her.

She's the one who broke it off, their relationship he means. She's the one who looks him in the eye one morning a couple of weeks after he tells her he has to move to Italy -where his father wants him to bloom the family business together, where Adrien learns ways to handle such and such before he has to take over the company after Gabriel retires one day- her back straight as her face sets determinedly, an expression he knows all to well all these years since they first met each other in and out of the mask.

"We have to stop this."

He's been confused of course, and blinks at her, setting down his mug from where they've been sitting at the corner of the cafe. "Stop what?"

She's still looking at him intensely, almost glaring at him he thinks, as if she's forcing herself to remain eye contact with him. "This," she gestures towards them both. " _Us_."

He feels a stone dropping in his stomach, the blood in his veins freezes as he stares at her in disbelief that he's glad he's already sitting down. "What?" He breathes, shock, hurt, and worry rolls in his gut at once. "Why are you saying this?"

Her hard demeanour starts to waver, her own sadness causes her to shift her eyes into her beverage, her knuckles turn white as she clutches onto her own mug, for reassurance, something to hold on to. "You'll be gone for a long time, Adrien," she murmurs, her voice hardly comes out. "It's obvious you'll be very busy once you're there, and I won't be having a stroll in the park either now that I'm starting my own company. We won't have time for each other as much as we used to and I don't want to hold you back or even make you wait for me," she rubs her thumb across the handle once. "You know this."

Of course he does, but he's hoping that they'll be able to talk through it nonetheless, where they'll manage to steal some time to talk to each other through Skype or through messages. He's hoping that the distance between them wouldn't effect them much in the future, that they'll still be together despite that.

But she's already giving up before he even has a chance to leave.

He slips his hands around her wrists, dragging her attention towards him when he gives her a squeeze. "You know we'll make it work," he says in a low voice. "We'll always make something work, we don't give up."

"It's not about giving up," the helpless look that weighs in her eyes makes his gut twist unpleasantly again. "It's about knowing how things aren't going to work like they used to and making decisions now so that we don't get hurt in the future."

"I'm already hurt as it is," the words spur out of his mouth before he could stop himself that causes her to tense, and then she's slipping out of his grasp that leaves a hollow feeling inside him.

"Don't do this, Adrien," she says quietly. "You know that we'll be too tied up with work, you'll already seeing it now when we're still in the same country for god's sake, and I don't want to burden you with the fact that you _have_ to call me in some way or another just because you feel obligated to when you have other important things to look at." She releases a sigh at this, and she takes a sip of her drink as if to calm herself down. "Besides, we haven't had the time to even patrol together like we used to."

He purses his lips, because he's been hoping she doesn't notice there's the beginning of a drift that's hanging loosely between them, that he hopes that he's able to fix it before he leaves. But he's too late, because she already knows and she's taking action before he has the chance to do so.

"We can make it work," he insists, because he isn't backing away from this, he isn't letting her go just yet. "We won't be patrolling like we used to because of our positions, but we'll call each other when we can-"

"But that's just the thing, isn't it?" She cuts him off. "We don't know when we'll have the time to even talk to each other. I've seen the way your timetable works, and I wouldn't doubt that it'll loosen up anytime soon now that you're going to train with your father for his position."

"I can always say I don't want to-"

" _Don't_ ," she says sharply, surprising him as he automatically clamps his mouth shut with a click of his teeth. Her look softens as she sighs again. "Don't throw away your future because of me when I'm already being selfish, it's not fair to you."

He realises then what she says, she's already make up her mind and there's nothing he can do to change that.

He feels his throat closes at this, the drink and what little food they share threatens to come up as he only stares at her, his own fingers tightening around his mug.

She notices this and gives him a pained look. "Don't do this," she warns him again, firmer this time. "Please, I'm only trying to make things easier for you where you don't have to feel trapped in your own decisions."

"What if I promise you that I won't?" He almost chokes out his words then, feeling as if his chest is being pressed with an anchor. He's desperate then, he knows this, _she_ knows this, but he doesn't care, he'll do whatever it takes to make sure it she understands how much she means to him and distance wouldn't change that. "What if I promise you that I'll wait for you, that we're only taking a break now and everything will be alright later on?"

She shakes her head. "I won't let you. I won't let you promise that to me, it's not fair to you, Adrien."

He takes a sharp breath. "Mari, please."

"No." She says quietly, with the same finality in her voice that she usually uses whenever she gives him the order of helping her get rid of an akuma, where she leaves him no room for arguments. "Don't do this to yourself. _Please_. I _can't_ let you do this for me."

His tongue feels like lead as he stares into his mug, not really seeing the half filled contents as her words gives him another blow to his chest, the hollow feeling spreads more around his body that the numbness starts to grow as well.

She reaches out for him, but her hand hovers over his arm for a second before she withdraws it back, as if she thinks she doesn't have the right to touch him anymore that his heart aches when he sees her gesture, where she immediately wraps her arms to herself. "I still love you," she declares softly. "That won't change despite what I'm doing to you right now."

He only watches her finish her drink, before she gets up to walk beside him, lowering her head so that she could press a kiss to his cheek that his eyelids flickers close for a while, relishing on the feel of her lips. "I'll see you at the airport in four days." She mutters into his ear.

When she leaves the cafe, the small bells tinkling after her wake, he notices the money she leaves on the table.

True to her word, he sees her at the airport with their family and friends, and he's tempted to beg to her to reconsider everything as he stands in front of her, her bright blue eyes staring back at him with raw devastation, something that she doesn't feel the need to cover when she's facing him as everything else around them ceased into nothingness.

He cups her face then, as he feels the way she trembles just the slightest bit under his touch, where she's clutching her purse tightly in her hands as he bends down and gives her a lingering kiss onto her forehead, giving his own version of a goodbye.

"I love you." He murmurs against her skin, and he turns around when he's needed to board on the plane, the press of her warmth still clings onto him as he refuses to look back, where he's afraid that if he did, he won't be able to let her go.

He feels Plagg pressing against his chest in reassurance from where he's hiding under his blazer, and Adrien rests a hand on top of him as he feels a pang of guilt.

Adrien has been so in grief on his relationship with Marinette that he doesn't consider about about Plagg's own connection with Tikki, where they're literally two halves of a whole for thousands of years.

"Don't worry, kid," Plagg hums when they're alone at one side of the jet while Nathalie sits at the other end. "Tikki and I had been away from each other longer than you can imagine, since looking for a new wielder isn't exactly something to be taken lightly, and that's why Master Fu is picky for a reason."

It still doesn't settle the conflict inside Adrien until months later.

The hurt dwindles down for a while as he's too busy with work, his mind subconsciously pushes back his wounded emotions as he tries focusing on why he's so far away from her in the first place. And it works, he doesn't think about her as much as he should be.

Until, _the_ card arrives at his doorstep five years later.

And now, a year after that, he's back in Paris, after a while of not seeing her since last year.

It's been almost a week since he first step foot onto Parisian soil, and he's only visiting her now.

Contrary to his procrastinated way, he doesn't waste time when he first hears the news through Nino's mouth -he's surprised when he gets the call, since the last time Adrien talks with Nino is the year before- and flies back on the earliest plane.

Visiting hours ended hours ago, where he's not supposed to even be there as he lands on the roof of the hospital, walking calmly to the door that surprisingly isn't locked, slipping in quietly as he runs down the stairs towards her room.

Level 5, room number 512.

He makes sure the nurses who's in charge of night shifts at the counter doesn't notice him as he slinks towards Marinette's room, quietly opening the door that he's glad there isn't any loud creak of those doors where other hospitals usually have.

When he closes it behind him, he remembers to breathe properly as he sees her on the bed.

And she's awake, feeding her child with tired and yet loving eyes from where she has herself propped against the pillows for her to be in a sitting position, the usual short dark hair now tucked behind her ears.

Even now, she's as radiant as ever. Where the last time he sees her, she's wearing a wedding dress, a dress that's done with beautiful workmanship that he wouldn't be surprised if she's the one who makes it, where she has her hands wrapped around the arm of another man that isn't him. And Adrien feels the way his chest constricts when he stands up with the crowd to clap along with them after the vows are made, forcing out a smile while the bride and groom seals their destiny together with a kiss. 

He remembers the way his hand shakes as he reads the wedding card that's been sent to him at Italy, the way he transforms into Chat Noir after so long of avoiding it, where he doesn't want people to spread the news that Paris's famous hero is finally showing himself after years of undercover. He remembers running across rooftops, skimming past dark alleys as he grits his teeth to prevent the scream that bubbles in his throat, threatening to burst out through the cracked dam he's been so desperately trying to take care of. 

Marinette looks up at the sound of the door closing, her small smile fades when she sees him standing near the door, where he only leans against it as he gives her the space she needs, levelling his eyes onto her face.

There's silence as they stare at each other, before she breaks it by sighing through her nose, running a hand over her son's head softly. "Chat Noir."

He nods. "Marinette."

There's something about the way she speaks his name, where she tries to hide the sadness under the eerily alien greeting she gives him a moment ago, where everything is too formal, too stiff that his chest feels heavy again, because the first time they met -either with or without the mask- there's always been strong emotions. But not like this, _never_ like this, as if he's meeting one of the colleagues to talk about the progress of the company. He averts his eyes to study the chair beside her bed, empty except for the blanket and pillow resting on it. "Where's Nath?"

He hears the way she let's out another breath. "Home, he left half an hour ago and he's coming back here after he gets some stuff."

It's a quiet warning, he knows this, telling him indirectly that he has minutes to spare but he can't talk long before her husband will come to her.

He swallows the ball of emotions down.

When he faces her again, she finishes feeding the baby, straightening her hospital blouse to make herself look decent as he averts his gaze, and leans back on the pillows again.

He takes that as a sign for him to come nearer, walking slowly towards the bed where mother and son are occupying, sitting on the edge slowly to prevent the bed from jostling too much as he continues to stare at the baby.

"He has your hair." He murmurs, where he's able to see the dark strands peeking under the hat the baby wears.

The smile she wears earlier graces on her face again as she strokes the sleeping baby's cheek with the back of her finger. "And he has his father's eyes."

Chat has to remind himself that the orbs under those shut eyelids are not the forest green he has, that he isn't his child and he has no right to call her his wife. No, the baby has the eyes of the shallowest part of the sea where he would see the green and the blue mixes together, and the rings he sees on the table beside her bed shows that she is someone else's wife.

He has to snap himself out of this torture he puts himself in, where the what-ifs and should-haves he plays in his mind over and over again that he knows it's breaking him, tearing himself inside out that the hope of going back to her he's been clinging onto while he's been working at Italy dissipates the moment he sees her building a family together with Nathanaël, _happy_.

"What's his name?" He asks instead, wanting to get rid of the pain that's been clawing in his chest, pressing the sensation to his throat.

"Hugo," she answers, and she raises her head to look at him in the eye, where he's unable to read the emotion that currently presents itself on her face. "His name is Hugo."

He nods, before he reluctantly gestures towards Hugo. "May I?"

"Of course," she breathes, and she passes the bundle to him. Chat settles the baby in his arms, bringing him to his chest.

He takes a moment to study him, the back of his fingers brushes against the baby's forehead like she does to his cheek as he takes note on the small nose and lips, where Hugo is wrapped with a blanket to brave against the cold of the hospital air conditioner. "He looks healthy." Chat comments as he brings his finger to the baby's soft cheek.

"He weighs 3.1kg," she agrees, reaching over the glass of water beside her rings, and he shifts his attention back to the baby in his arms. "The doctor said we'll be able to check out of here in another couple of days, since he didn't need to be put inside an incubator like some babies."

"Did you go through natural birth?" Because he's truly curious about her condition, on how she's doing through the years he hasn't been at Paris. 

"C-section," she winces, running a free hand over her abdomen, where the stitches lay under her clothes. "Apparently, my blood pressure was high and he was in a transverse lie when I was in labour," she takes a sip of her drink. "Basically, he had to come out of the window instead of the door."

He let's out a soft snort, careful not to jostle himself so much so that he doesn't wake up Hugo. "Excellent wording, my lady."

He freezes, where he forgets momentarily that he hasn't been using that title for the longest time, where he doesn't have the chance to stop himself from it flowing out before it's too late.

But the damage is done, because she seem to tense as well as she puts back the glass on the table. However, he isn't giving up just yet. "You'll always be my lady, you know."

She looks at him sharply then, and he sees the way the dark circles hangs under her eyes, exhausted from the past few days of post-birth. "Don't do this." she warns him quietly, and he's being pulled back to that time when they're at the cafe. Firm, pleading.

"Even if you're already married to someone else, had a child with him, or when you don't even love me like the way you used to anymore but you'll _always_ ," he takes a breath at this, trying to calm down. "Be my lady."

She stares at him in defeat, and he sees the way her shoulders slumps with invisible weight that seems to push her down, making her look more tired than ever. She sighs through her nose. "Silly kitty," she mutters, resting a hand on his bicep that he feels her warmth seep into his suit, spreading over that spot of his skin. "You're still one of the people that will always mean something to me, nothing can change that." She gives him a wavering smile then. "I still love you, but it's in a bit different way."

He feels the tangle of emotions stuck in his throat again, and he has difficulty swallowing it down as easily as he used to when he ignores the sting behind his eyes. He passes Hugo back to her, where the baby shifts slightly in his sleep when his mother holds him to her chest, shushing him to sleep.

Chat runs his thumb over her cheek, not exactly cupping her face and yet still touching her, where she stares back at him in the eye, waiting for him to say a word. He leans down and presses his lips to her forehead. "You still mean something to me too," he whispers. "And it doesn't change our friendship."

She let's out a deep breath, squeezing his wrist briefly to let him know that she agrees.

He straightens himself up, letting his hand drop to his side as he gives her a small smile. "Goodbye, Marinette."

She answers with one of her own, albeit shakier than before. "Goodbye, Adrien."

Turning around, he slips past doors, leaving the woman he loves behind.


End file.
